Merchant Navy Courses 2021: Merchant Navy will be suitable for those who fond of travelling through waterway for a long time and also wants to earn huge money as well.
The main responsibility of a merchant navy is to transport huge amount of goods to the different countries. Through Merchant Navy, import and export are executed as needed in international trade.
Merchant Navy as a career is Advantageous for the candidates who are interested in lucrative jobs. Interested candidates from various courses can join this field. One can be part of this through three modes as they want.
You can join Merchant Navy from class 10 to graduation. You have to keep it in your mind that Merchant Navy and Navy is different from each other as former provide commercial services and the latter is a defense of a nation.
Merchant Navy Eligibility Criteria

You should maintain the following criteria to become a Merchant Navy. You can pursue Merchant Navy by doing UG, PG, Diploma and Certificate courses.
For Bachelor Courses:
- To get admission in this course, you must be a student of science stream in class 12th having Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as main subject.
- You must have a minimum of 60% marks in class 12th board exam.
- Your age must be in between 17 to 25 years.
For Diploma Courses:
- Your age should be below than 25 – 28 years.
- In 10+2 board exam, you must have PCM with English as mandatory subjects for one-year diploma course.
- In case of two-year diploma course, you should have complete Diploma in Electronics Engineering/ Marine Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering/ Electrical Engineering/ Shipbuilding Engineering with a minimum of 50% marks.
For 6-Months Courses:
- The required age is 17.5 to 25 years.
- In class 10th candidates must obtain 40% marks with the main subjects Science, English and Maths.
For Postgraduate Courses:
- In MBA which are related to Merchant Navy, the maximum age is 25 years and for GME it is 28 years.
- To pursue GME, you must complete BE in Naval Architecture/ Mechanical Engineering.
- To pursue MBA, you need to complete any bachelor degree.
Required Medical Fitness:
- Candidates should have normal vision i.e. 6/6 in both of the eye individually.
- Candidates must bring a certificate of medical fitness from authorized person.
Also Read: How to become a chemical engineer in India?
Admission Procedure for Merchant Navy Courses
To get admission in different Merchant Navy programs, you have to face an entrance exam. The process varies at different levels.
1. Admission through Entrance Exams
If you want to take admission in technical courses in Merchant Navy, then you have to face entrance exams. After class 12th, there are many entrance exams that are conducted to select candidates for marine engineering programs.
Some of these exams are IMU CET, JEE Advanced, MERI Entrance Exam, TMI SAT etc.
There are some institutions that allows students according to their marks they obtained in class 12th.
2. Entry on the Basis of Sponsorship
- You can get admission in the popular maritime institutions if you apply for this programs. Many shipping companies in various Institutes started their training to train eligible candidates as Merchant Navy.
- The sponsorship company through which candidates got training will accommodate to go on ship after the completion of course. For sponsorship in various companies can be applied.
3. Lateral Entry in the 2nd Year
You can take admission for marine engineering programs directly into the second year that are approved by the Directorate General of Shipping. One can get admission into the second year as lateral entry in two ways:
(i) After successfully completing electrical or mechanical engineering having a minimum of 60%, and
(ii) After a diploma course in electrical, mechanical, marine or ship-building engineering with at least 60% aggregate.
Some Popular Subjects for Merchant Navy
Some popular subjects that you have to study during Merchant Navy courses are:
Mechanics of Fluids, Nautical Physics and Electronics Paper, Marine Auxiliary Machine, Shipping Management, Marine Boiler and System Engineering, Maritime Law, Naval Architecture, Cargo Machine and Marine Communication, Marine Heat Engines and Air Conditioning, Marine Machines and System Design, Environmental Science, STCW and Ship Fire Prevention etc.
Merchant Navy Training
You have to undergo a pre-sea training that will be guided by Maritime Training Institute when the related program will be completed.
All the candidates who have completed any kind of maritime programs must be part of this training before starting your interns at the ship. The training may be for six years to one year that depends on the program of the candidates pursued.
Job Roles of a Merchant Navy
After clearing all the stages, one can choose any one option as they wish. We have mention some job profiles related to Merchant Navy:
- The Captain: In Merchant Navy job profile, this post is popular among them and is considered as the commander of the ship. Their main responsibility is to represent the ship owners and navigate the ship. They also play other roles like assign organizational duties, navigation and maintain discipline.
- The Chief Mate: They assist the Captain and they are also given charge of cargo planning and deck work. They also help in the managerial work in the ship.
- The Second Mate/The Third Mate: They are mainly given responsibility of maintaining equipment and assist in cargo work.
- Engineering Officers: They mainly do supervision of the engine room.
- Third Engineer/Fourth Engineer Officer: They maintain the engineering room and boiler room equipment.
- Radio Officers: They work on radio devices such as operate, maintain and repair. They also maintain weather reports, position reports and other data.
Sector of Employment of a Merchant Navy
Many shipping companies offers employment to the Merchant Navy officers like oil, gas shipping firms and ports. There are some sectors that recruit Merchant Navy officers are Oil Companies, Shipping Firms, Cargo Companies & Agencies, Shipping Corporations etc.
Popular Merchant Navy Recruiting Companies
We have mention some Recruiting Companies where Merchant Navy can get jobs are Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd, Garware Offshore Services Ltd, Visakhapatnam Port, Hede Navigation, Poompuhar Shipping, Apeejay Shipping Ltd, Varun Shipping Co Ltd etc.
Merchant Navy Salary
Salary of different Merchant Navy Officers are:
1. Profile: G P Rating
- Qualification: Class 10
- Field Requisite: 4 + 2 months of pre-sea course
- Average Salary: Rs. 25,000 to 60,000 per month
2. Profile: Trainee Cadet
- Qualification: Class 12 along with pre-sea Nautical Diploma
- Field Requisite: 1-year pre-sea course
- Average Salary: Rs. 25,000 to 85,000 per month
3. Profile: Deck Cadet
- Qualification: Class 12 along with pre-sea Nautical Diploma
- Field Requisite: 18 months of service at sea as deck cadet
- Average Salary: Rs. 25,000 to 85,000 per month
4. Profile: 3rd Officer/ 2nd Officer
- Qualification: 2nd Mate (FG) Certificate of Competency
- Field Requisite: 18 months of service at sea as 2nd or 3rd officer
- Average Salary: Rs. 1,50,000 to 3,00,000 per month
5. Profile: Chief Officer
- Qualification: 1st Mate (FG) Certificate of Competency
- Field Requisite: 18 months of service at sea as chief officer
- Average Salary: Rs. 4,00,000 to 6,00,000 per month
6. Profile: Captain
- Qualification: Master (FG) Certificate of Competency
- Field Requisite: 4 to 5 years of experience in the industry
- Average Salary: Rs. 8,65,000 to 20,00,000 per month
Also Read: Unique Career Options in India 2021
Top Colleges for Merchant Navy Courses:
- C.V. Raman College of Engineering – Bhubaneswar
- AMET University – Chennai
- Balaji Seamen Training Institute – Chennai
- Chennai School of Ship Management – Chennai
- School of Seamanship and Nautical Technology – Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu)
- Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Institute of Maritime Science & Engineering – Chidambaram
- Park Maritime Academy – Coimbatore
- SeaSkills Maritime Academy – Coimbatore
- Centre for Maritime Education and Training – Dehradun
- Francon’s Marine Academy – Goa
- NUSI Maritime Academy – Goa
- Natcom Education & Research Foundation – Gurgaon
- Haldia Institute of Maritime Studies & Research – Haldia
- Anglo Eastern Maritime Academy – Karjat
- Amer Maritime Training Academy – Kanpur
- Institute of Marine Engineers (India) – Kochi
- Indian Maritime University (National Maritime Academy) – Kochi
- College of Maritime Studies & Research – Kolkata
- Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Ltd – Kolkata
- Anglo Eastern Maritime Training Centre – Mumbai
We hope this post will help you to know the Merchant Navy Courses details in India. For more post like this visit this website regularly and bookmark in your browser. Also, you can find us on Facebook, and Twitter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ans: To take admission in bachelor degree for Merchant Navy, the compulsory subjects are Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
Ans: To get admission in MBA for Merchant Navy, the maximum age is 28 years.
Ans: There are some entrance exams through which candidates are selected are IMU CET, JEE Advanced, MERI Entrance Exam, TMI SAT etc.
Ans: After the completion of programs related to Merchant Navy, you will be posted as the Captain, the Chief Mate, Engineering Officers, Radio Officers etc.
Ans: The average salary of a captain in Merchant Navy is Rs. 8,65,000 to 20,00,000 per month.