Having thousands of pictures of great locations in your album ranging from Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower to the great fall of Niagara, it is simply impossible to turn your dreams into reality, even though you can afford it. As a Seafarer, you will be amongst the selected few who would get the opportunity to globetrot while getting paid handsomely to do so.

Merchant shipping includes cargo ships, passenger ships and tankers. Cargo ships can be either Liners which travel on established routes at regular intervals between specified ports or Tramps which instead, take cargo where and when it is offered and to any port. Cargo Ships include Bulk Carriers. Container Ships, Timber Carrier etc. Bulk carriers, transport ores or other dry cargoes in bulk. Container ships handle standardised containers in a highly mechanised fashion. Roll-on ships handle cargoes through their bow or stern ports i.e. Vehicles. Passenger ships include Ocean liners, Cruise ships. and Ferries. Tankers are used to transport crude oil, oil-based products, chemicals and natural gases.

A career at sea is not limited to the sea-service only. A very prosperous future is also open for the seafarers. who after few years of sea service, can settle down with lucrative shore jobs. Most of the ex-mariners later hold important and respectable posts at different organizations in India and abroad ranging from Govt. Organizations like MMD, Port Trusts, Ship Building yards, various Marine Institutes etc. There are openings available with vast opportunities in Shipping Companies as Manning Agencies, Charterers, Consultancy Firms, Marine Workshops, Star Hotels etc.

Seafaring opens up a universe of opportunities for achieving different landmarks as successful human beings.

Importance of Pre-sea training:

Ships are only as good as the persons who man them. Safety and efficiency of ships are dependent upon the professional competence and dedication to duty of the seafarers on board ships. To achieve this, maritime education & training and within that the pre-sea training is of vital importance. All Institutes that conduct or intend to conduct pre-sea induction courses for merchant navy should aim at excellence and abide by the guidelines as set forth herein. Where considered necessary, additional norms are issued by the Director General of Shipping (DGS) for different categories of pre-sea induction courses. The DGS reserves the right to change, add, modify, rescind or replace these norms, or any part thereof, whenever considered necessary. Training of maritime personnel in India has been accorded the highest priority by the Government of India. To ensure that the competence of Indian seafarers is accepted throughout the world, improvements have been made from time to time in the training of seafarers in India. With advancement in technology, and consequent changes especially due to STCW '95 Convention, the international concept and practice of maritime training has undergone major changes in quality and quantity. To increase the supply of trained seafarers, the Government began to encourage maritime training in the private sector on a large scale in about 1997. DGS, who is the designated authority in India for all matters concerning merchant shipping, has been issuing directives, whenever necessary, to ensure that international standards are complied with by all Training Institutes in India.

Objectives of Pre-sea training:

Candidates for pre-sea training come from varying social, cultural, geographical, linguistic and economic backgrounds. On completion of training, the officers and ratings join ships and are required to be able to man the ships effectively and to know the manner of working and of behaving in their respective work-stations, accommodation, recreation rooms, dining halls and in all formal and informal contexts on board the ship and elsewhere. Bearing this in mind, it is imperative that facilities for officers and ratings undergoing pre-sea courses in maritime training institutes be provided in adequate quality & measure. By placing emphasis on classroom and outdoor activities such as parade, physical training, swimming, boatwork, outdoor games, extra-curricular activities, etc., the candidate is expected to be fully oriented to be suitable for the seafaring profession. Cheerful obedience to orders of superiors, team spirit, leadership and other seaman-like qualities will have to be developed in them. Candidates passing out of approved Institutes would have to be of required standard in knowledge, competence and behaviour. Hence only Institutes that fulfill these norms will be considered by DGS for approval to impart maritime training for the merchant navy.