HOW TO BECOME A MARINE ENGINEER AFTER DOING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING???

      If you are a mechanical engineer and wish to get a job in the merchant navy, then you can do so by becoming a marine engineer using your mechanical engineering degree.

      Mechanical and marine engineering courses have several subjects in common and this makes it easier for a mechanical engineer to get an additional degree in marine and open new doors of opportunities.

     Moreover, with the present shortage of maritime professionals in the shipping industry and lack of quality mechanical engineering jobs in the market, taking up marine engineering is an ideal choice for those already having a degree in mechanical engineering.

SURESH BEKKANTI

        The best part of pursuing a marine engineering degree after mechanical engineering is that you don’t have to go through the four years of rigorous engineering training, which a marine engineer has to go through. All you need is a one year specialized course.

    A one year Graduate Marine Engineering (GME) course after mechanical engineering would give students the licence to enter merchant navy. This one year GME course is all you need to become a marine engineer after doing mechanical engineering.

Eligibility Criteria

         However, there are certain requirements which one should satisfy in order to join the one year marine engineering course. They are as follows:

• Graduation in BE (Mechanical) Engineering / Naval Architecture with minimum marks of 50% in final year

• Must have minimum 50% marks in English language at 10th or 12th or in Degree Exam.

• Must not be more than 28 years old
• Should satisfy all health requirements that are necessary to join the merchant navy. To know more about the medical health requirements, read Physical Fitness and Medical Requirements to Join Merchant navy.

Institutes Offering Graduate Marine Engineering Course

         If you are a mechanical engineer in India, there are several institutes that are recognized by the Directorate General of Shipping, India and which provide 1 –year Graduate Marine Engineering Course (GME).

         Kindly note that each institute has different admission procedure, and thus it is advisable to contact the institute directly in order to get the right information about the course.

Some of the prominent institutes offering GME course are:

• Academy of Maritime Education & Training, Chennai

• Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, Lonavala, Maharashtra

• Vel’s Academy of Maritime Education and Training, Chennai

• International Maritime Institute Ltd, Greater Noida

• Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd, Kolkata (Direct Link: GRSE  (pdf))

To get the full list of Directorate General of Shipping Approved Colleges offering GME Course, read List of Institutes offering Graduate Marine Engineering (GME) Course in India.

CAREER PATH OF A MARINE ENGINEER

      The above graph is a brief overview of hierarchy and job opportunities for Marine engineering candidates. The Shore Job entirely depends on the capability/ experience of the candidate and requirement of the shore company. After marine engineering, a candidate has to do various advance courses and management studies to opt for shore job even having sailed as a chief engineer.

ABOUT MARINE ENGINEERING

        About a century ago no one would have heard about a marine engineer, but today it is a profession which is as established as any other famous ones. Over the last 100 years, engineering as a field of study has developed and diversified far beyond what could have been imagined prior to this period. Not only this, it has also branched out into various specialized fields that have achieved great progress. Most of these new fields are aligned to any of the basic engineering branches like mechanical, electrical, civil, electronics, computers etc and have something or the other incorporated from them. One such branch is called marine engineering

      Marine engineering is the branch of study that deals with the design, development, production and maintenance of the equipment used at sea and on board sea vessels like boats, ships etc. As a matter of fact, it is quite a vast field and it also has many sister arenas like naval architecture and nautical science.

       

          A marine engineer is a professional who is responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of all major mechanical and engineered equipment on board a ship. There are many mechanical systems that help in the operations of any vessel like the propulsion mechanics, electricity and power generation system, lubrication, fuel systems, water distillation, lighting and air conditioning system etc. These are all included in the technical responsibilities of a marine engineer.

        A variety of marine programs, conducted by engineers also fall under this area of study, like an underwater vehicle research, cable laying work, renewable energy production in marine areas etc. In the latter half of the 19th century, marine engines for propulsion arrived and revolutionized the sea traveling vessels. It was about this time that the marine engineer began to stamp his importance over the scheme of work and transformed from a ‘stoker’ to an engineer.

           In recent years, there have been many new introductions to the marine technologies that have further enhanced the machines and the services like the fuel cells and magneto hydrodynamics etc. Further research and development is also in progress and newer details emerge every now and then. It would thus be safe to state that marine engineering is a very dynamic field.

        A marine engineer can opt for different types of vessels, depending upon his/her background training and expertise, which can be categorized to :

1. Foreign going dry vessels
2. Foreign going tanker vessels (oil, gas , chemical etc)
3. Coastal trading dry and tanker ships
4. Passenger vessels
5. Dynamic position vessels
6. Offshore platforms and ships
7. Port assisting boats and ship (Tugs, barges etc)

          In recent times, this field of study has caught on the imagination of many around the world. The interest shown by students of various countries and the response at the concerned departments in the universities bears testimony to this. The increase in the employment opportunities in this field has added to the lure of a job as a marine engineer. Both merchant navy and armed navy have immense opportunities for the students of this field. In addition to this, various manufacturing industries and units that produce shipping equipment and machines also hire these professionals to work in their production houses.

        In some countries, a marine engineer can switch over to armed navy (after giving physical and medical fitness exams) as the technical qualification requirement are already achieved by a sea going engineer.

          Also, budding field jobs as trainers and teachers at various institutions are available and suitable candidates are very much in demand. Judging by the developments and the interest it would not be wrong to assume that this field of study would continue to leave an indelible mark on the world.