THE MERCHANT NAVY mainly deals with transporting cargo and occasionally passengers by sea. It has different fleets composed of passenger vessels, cargo liners, tankers, Bulk carriers, Car carriers, containers as well as the other special types of vessels. Merchant Navy is the backbone of international trade, carrying cargo across the globe for Import & Export business. Merchant navy is known for transportation. Plus point of merchant navy is the highest paid salary. Moreover it is totally tax-free. You can save the total salary since all your expense is borned by the Shipping Company.

A career at sea is perhaps one of the most rewarding careers not only with respect to emoluments & earning capacity but also way of practical education of an individual through travel, visiting various countries & meeting people from various parts of the globe. It develops a cosmopolitan person quite at home in most foreign environments & with a greater understanding of the different people, their culture & way of life.

Attributes of a Young Person Choosing a Sea Career

• Above average intelligence but not necessarily an intectual.
• Good general knowledge & lot of common sense.
• Include good hobbies to pass time in spare time on ship.
• Fond of out-door life.
• Interested in broadening his outlook.
• Keen to follow a life of adventure where practically every day is different from the previous day.
• High sense of responsibility.
• Cares for his colleagues and makes friends easily.
• Keen to work other as a team.
• Show initiative in tackling any work assigned to him

Career Prospects

• After joining the training program at the age of 17 Years with 10^th or 12^th certificate, you will qualify to become the captain or chief engineer of multi-core ships at the age of about 27 years.
• All qualification obtained in India are certified by government of India and these are recognized by every maritime nation in keeping with the International conversations made by IMO which is body of UNO.
• An officer holding Indian or foreign certificate can work on any ship of any nationality, thus increasing his job market.
• You can work on ships upto the age of 65 years.
• At the same time good opportunities will be available to change to marine related jobs onshore from the age of 35 years onwards.

Sea Life

• It is adventurous & outdoor life.
• You will get opportunity to meet people of different cultures & nationalities which will broaden your outlook.
• On Indian ships & some foreign ships, your colleagues will all be Indians but on other foreign ships you will work with multi-national crew.
• You will be working in close proximity with nature i.e., The oceans & seas.
• You will be living in totally pollution free & healthy condition.
• You will learn to understand , appreciate & associate with all the vagaries of the sea.
• Based on technological advances, today's Ships are extremely safe & sea worthy and accidents are rare, that to mainly due to human errors.
• There are no unknown or unexpected dangers at sea.
• Any difficulty which may arise can be tackled by any intelligent, diligent and trained officer

Career Prospects

• After joining the training program at the age of 171/2 Years with Xth or XIIth certificate ,you will qualify to become the captain or chief engineer of a multi-core ships at the age of about 27 years.
• All qualification obtained in India are certified by government of India and these are recognized by every maritime nation in keeping with the International conversations made by IMO which is body of UNO.
• An officer holding Indian or foreign certificate can work on any ship of any nationality, thus increasing his job market.
• You can work on ships up to the age of 65 years.
• At the same time good opportunities will be available to change to marine related jobs onshore from the age of 35 years onwards.

Facilities & Amenities on Ships

• While on board ship, every person actually works only for 8 to 10 hours everyday, in exceptional cases of operational or commercial difficulties longer periods (OT) of work may become necessary.
• Remainder is rest period for which substantial facilities are available e.g. indoor games, video films, books, magazines, physical fitness equipments, swimming pools etc.
• Accommodation is very comfortable with all modern amenities.
• Communication between ships and shore is very effective and simple. Ship's telephone ,fax & email, chat are conveniently available to contact your family and friends. Personal mobile phones with world wide roaming facility.
• All shipping companies allow their senior officers to carry their wife & children's while on contraction ships.
• Due to the contract nature of employment the person on ship keep changing regularly. You will be able to make friends with people whom you like and you will not be stuck with any unlikable person for a long duration
• As per Indian income tax laws, if a person has worked on ships for more than 182 days in a financial year out of India then he becomes an NRI & all his foreign earnings are totally tax free.