BE in Marine Engineering / Nautical Science and PG Diploma in Mechanical
Engineering are the basic qualifications to become a Marine Engineer.
The minimum educational qualifications for pursuing a Bachelor’s degree
in Marine Engineering or Nautical science is plus two or equivalent with
high percentage of marks in science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics. These courses are of 4 years duration. Chennai School
of Ship Management offer Alternate Training Scheme (ATS) of three years
to become a Marine Engineer.
Good health is required to be a good Marine Engineer. Physical fitness
is a must and there are certain medical norms that need to be met
to get entry into the Marine Engineering courses. The minimum height should
be 150cms with correlated weight and proportionate chest with minimum
5-cm expansion. He should also pass a medical fitness test for sea
service under standard norms and with eyesight 6/6 with no colour blindness.
T S Chanakya, Mumbai, and the Marine Engineering Research Institute (MERI),
Calcutta are the two main training centres for Marine Engineers, be Most
institutes admit candidates through an entrance examination, which is
normally held in the month of May every year at various centres all over
India followed by viva-voice and medical examination. Selection to T S
Chanakya and MERI is made through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)
conducted annually by IIT. After applying to IIT for appearing in JEE,
candidates are required to submit a separate application to the Directorate
General of Shipping, Jahaz Bhavan, W.H Marg, Mumbai 400 001. The
Alternate Training Scheme (ATS) of Chennai School of Ship Management was
structured by International Maritime Organisation.
Those who have BE in Marine engineering and a passion for academics can
pursue post graduation (i.e ME in Marine engineering) which is of two
years duration. Graduates in Mechanical Engineering can also opt for M.E/
M.Tech courses in marine engineering. Those with post graduate degree
can do Ph.D. in Marine Engineering. Many institutes in India and abroad
offer these courses.
Course Details :
A course in Marine engineering deals with the training leading to careers
in ship repair and ship operation. The candidates are given a knowledge
of fairly high standards in fundamental engineering sciences, specialised
knowledge of theoretical and practical marine engineering and also a basic
knowledge of social sciences and humanities. In addition to this, the
course entitles the trainees to acquire the competencies prescribed by
the Standards of Training, Certification and watch-keeping for sea-farers.
Personal skill:
In order to become a Marine engineer, a person should possess some essential
personal attributes. Good English language proficiency and physical fitness
is a must. They should have excellent technical knowledge, math and IT
skills. A marine engineer should have organising quality, team spirit
and practical thinking and common sense. He should possess an aptitude
to be calm under pressure and should know how to manage the situation.
Once in the profession he should always update his knowledge and should
be aware of the latest developments. As they are working with big equipments
and engines, patience is another essential skill that Marine engineers
should have. They should have an awareness of health and safety procedures.
More over he should enjoy sea travel and should be dedicated to his job.
