CAREER IN SHIPPING

DGS comes under the Ministry of Surface Transport, Govt. of India. DGS is in charge of maintaining minimum standards of training before a person becomes eligible for employment on board ships. It also governs the issues related to and employment of seafarers.

In a broader perspective DGS deals with implementation of shipping policy and legislation so as to ensure the safety of life and ships at sea, prevention of marine pollution, promotion of maritime education and training in co-ordination with the International Maritime Organization, regulation of employment and welfare of seamen, development of coastal shipping, augmentation of shipping tonnage, examination and certification of Merchant Navy Officers, Supervision and Control of the allied offices under its administrative jurisdiction

Table below provides an overview of options available on the basis of qualifications. Salary mentioned in each column are just a guide and vary from company to company and type of ships

High School / 10thStd./ ITI	Higher Secondary (10+2)		Diploma / Degree
Ratings Support personnel in Engine Room or on Deck and for Catering Services	Ratings Support personnel in Engine Room, or on Deck, or for catering services	Officer in Engine Room, or on Deck	Officer in Engine Room, or on Deck (Mechanical Engineering to become marine engineer)
Training period Six months (Residential)	Six months	3 to 4 years Ashore and on board ship	1-2 years ashore depending upon the type of course
Appointment as a trainee for six months, and later as certified rating	As a trainee for six months, and later as certified rating	As a cadet/trainee engineer for six-nine months, and later as certified officer	As a cadet/trainee engineer for six-nine months, and later as certified officer
Further prospects for promotion	Further prospects for promotion	5-6 years qualify as Chief Engineer or as a Master of a ship	5-6 years qualify as Chief Engineer or as a Master of a ship
Starting Salary range: 5000-10000 per month going up to Rs. 40000/ per month	5000-10000 per month going up to Rs. 40000/ per month	Starting Salary range: 10000-20000 per month going up to Rs. 2-4 lakhs / per month	Starting Salary range: 10000-20000 per month going up to Rs. 2-4 lakhs / per month

There are other options such as Electrical Officer, Radio Officers, Fitters.

Entry Standards

The following chart gives you options for various courses on the basis of qualification and age

Ratings GP or Catering	Minimum Qualification	Age	Medical Fitness*	Approximate Cost
General Purpose Rating	10th Std. 40 % aggregate. Science, and Mathematics and minimum 40 % in EnglishOrPass in 2-Year I.T.I. course from Govt. Approved Institute with minimum 50% aggregate marks in final year minimum 40 % in English in 10th std.	Between 17.5 to 25 years before entry in training	Physically fit Vision 6/6 with normal colour vision	80000 to 120000
Certificate Course in Maritime Catering	12th Std. from any stream 40 % aggregate and minimum 40 % in English either in 10th or 12th	As above	Physically fit Vision 6/18 with normal colour vision	80000 to 100000

Training Programmes (Summary)

Training Programmes (Summary)

High School ( 10thStd.) ITI Entry	Higher Secondary (10+2)		Diploma / Degree
General Purpose Rating (6 months) Cost approx Rs. 80,000 to 1,20,000	General Purpose Rating (6 months) Cost approx Rs. 80,000 to 1,20,000Certificate in Maritime Catering (6 months) Cost approx Rs. 80,000	BS Nautical (IGNOU) 1 year ashore and 2 years at sea. Approx costBS Nautical (3YDC) Cost rangeBS Marine Engineering (4 years) Cost rangeBS Polyvalent (3YDC) Cost rangeDiploma in Marine Engineering (3 years) Approx cost	(Mechanical Engineering entry)Diploma in Marine Engineering (2 years) Approx cost Marine Engineering (1 year) Cost rangeDiploma entry: General Purpose Rating (6 months) Cost approx Rs. 80,000

Traing Institutes in India

After High School / 10th Standard	Higher Secondary (10+2)	Diploma / Degree
About 32 institutes spread out in coastal cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Tuticorin, Paradeep, Bhubhaneshwar. Interior: New Delhi, Meerut, Hyderabad, Varanasi.	About 80 institutes spread out in coastal cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Tuticorin, Paradeep, Bhubheneshwar. Interior: New Delhi, Meerut, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Vellore, Madurai, Pune,	bout 30 institutes spread out in coastal cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Tuticorin, Paradeep, Bhubheneshwar. Interior: New Delhi, Meerut, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Madurai, Pune.

Madical Standards Required

Merchant Shipping (Medical Examinations Rules 2000) Extracts
A Pre-Sea medical examination provides an opportunity to prevent a person who should not, for health reasons apparent at the time, from embarking on a seafaring career.  It is therefore more stringent in nature than a periodic examination, bearing in mind that the objective is to head-off an unhealthy or unwise career choice.  By its very nature, this examination may occur only once, and it is very important that the medical examiner conducts it thoroughly.

15. HEARING
Candidates : unaided average threshold higher than 40db in both ears at 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 hz and/or functional speech discrimination less than 90% at 55 db in both ears.  Serving seafarers : unaided average threshold higher than 70 db in both ears at 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz and or functional speech discrimination less than 80% at 55 db in both ears.

EARS:

• There should be no impaired hearing, discharge from or disease of either ear, unhealed perforation of the tympanic membrane or signs of acute or chronic supportive otitis media or evidence of radical or modified radical mastoid operation, and no congenital mlaformation of the ear.
• Should be able to hear a whisper at a distance of 5 meters on each side.  No disease should be present.  No hearing aid shall be permitted.

16. EYESIGHT

A.   The standards for Pre-Sea medical examination are given below: 
1.    There should not be any degree of squint or any morbid condition of either eye or the eyelids, pressure of trachoma and iris complications sequela.  Candidates must possess good binocular vision (fusion faculty and full field of vision in both eyes).  Movement of the eyeballs must be full in all directions and the pupils should react normally to light and accommodation.

2.   Deck Department (including Deck and General-Purpose Crew)
Distance Vision (Unaided) 1.0 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation.) (6/6) in better eye and 0.67 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation.) (6/9) in other eye.
Normal colour Vision (To be tested by Ishiara test chart)
In addition, Deck cadets and Deck Officers for certification upto Master are required to pass sight tests, conducted by Mercantile Marine Department as given in paragraph 17, below.

3.   Engine Department (including Engine-room Crew) 
Distance Vision (Unaided):  0.5 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation.) (6/12) in each eye; or 0.67 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation.) (6/9) in better eye and 0.33 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/18) in other eye.
Normal colour vision (To be tested by Ishiara test chart)

4.   Catering Department (including Bhandaries and Utility Hands) 
Distance Vision (Unaided):  0.33 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/18) in each eye; or 0.5 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/12) in better eye and 0.25 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/24) in other eye.
Normal colour vision (To be tested by Ishiara test chart)

5.   Audio officers and electrical/electronic officer
Distance Vision (Unaided):  0.5 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/12) in each eye; or 0.67 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/9) in better eye and 0.33 (Values given in Snellen Decimal Notation) (6/18) in other eye.
Normal colour vision (to be tested by Ishiara test chart)

Comments are closed

Sorry, but you cannot leave a comment for this post.