Merchant Navy Officer
Guide on How to become merchant navy officer
Contents
Deck Officers:
Navigate the vessel with the help of ECDIS and radar systems and other navigation equipment’s
Update weather and navigation reports
Monitor safe and correct cargo operations
Supervise the operation and maintenance of deck gears
Manage ship communication systems
Maintenance of safety, firefighting and LSA equipment
Must ensure that the health and safety are maintained
Must maintain legal and operational records Ex. Ship’s log
Maritime legal, commercial and political updates must be followed at all times
Engineering Officers
Maintenance of the mechanical equipment on board
Maintain generators, boiler, refrigeration plant, ventilation and pumping systems
Repair and monitor equipment, e.g. air compressors, pumps and sewage plants
Regular inspections of equipment’s and maintenance of them
ETO is to maintain the electronic and electrical equipment on board
Master (Captain) – Overall responsible for the navigation and safety of the ship, crew, and cargo. Master is the person who remains directly in touch with the manning company Charteres and the Ship owners , he also handles legal and commercial matters and maintains the ship’s records.
Chief Officer – Responsible for deck operations and maintenance of the deck, cargo operations and storage inventory.
Second Officer – Responsible for navigation, Chart corrections ,updates the vessel’s position, speed, direction and weather reports, and carry out watch duties at sea and in port
Third Officer – Responsible to maintain ship’s safety equipment and lifeboats.
Deck Cadet– He works as an Intern onboard and work under the supervision of chief officer
Merchant Navy cadets gets paid between USD 8,00 to 1000 per month. Accommodation, food and Repatration cost are born by the company.
Junior officers earn between USD 1000 and 3000 per month.
Captain or Chief engineer gets the highest salary as per the hierachy system, salary may range anywhere between USD8,000 to 12,000 per month.
Also salary may increase , depending on the type of vessel.
Detail Article on Salary in Merchant Navy-Click here
Working hours
Merchant Navy officers usually have contracts for every vessel they join, each contract is for 4 to 5 months, again it depends on company and vessel type.
Generally the officers are not paid while they are on leave but nowdays some big companies pay 1/3rd of the salary while on leave
Also, many companies provide holiday allowance and medical for their employees & family.
While sailing Deck officers and Engine officers are required to perform watch
At port stay Deck officer perform cargo operation watch and Engine officer perform engine watch, all watches are in shifts.
Read more in detail : How to join Merchant Navy
Entry
Merchant Navy officers are usually recruited in the category of Cadet for deck department and Trainee marine engineer (TME) for Engine department
Candidates needs to undergo Pre-sea training at a nautical college and after pre sea they can join ship to gain sea experience ,after finishing the required sea time they may sit for exam to earn officers licence.
Almost Eighty percent of world’s trade happens through sea, merchant navy cargo ships carry cargo from port A to port B.
To run these ships requires large number of workers,on deck and in engine room. We cannot imagine happening of international trade without merchant navy.
Merchant navy personnel gets opportunity to travel around the world, besides they get highly paid.
Merchant navy career is considered a glamorous job, monetarily rewarding & satisfying but on the other side the job is quite challenging and requires lot of physical and mental presence.
Click Below Links to Read More on :
How to Join Merchant Navy as Deck Cadet
How to Join Merchant Navy as Deck Rating
How to Join Merchant Navy as Saloon Rating
How to Join Merchant Navy as Engine Officer
How to Join Merchant Navy as Engine Ratings
