Top 14 Things a Junior/Trainee Marine Engineer Shouldn’t Do When New to Ship

Trainee marine engineers, also famously known as junior or 5^th engineers on board ships, come on merchant vessels as part of their learning process and also to gain practical knowledge in order to qualify for competitive exams.
Every professional, irrespective of the field, start his/her career from an internship position, an on-site learning process. On ships, the junior engineer is an intern, who is not only excited of this new wonderful world called “ship” but is also equally naive, both professionally and personally.
Often termed as “Alice in wonderland”, “liability”, “useless”, etc. by senior officers on board ship, a junior engineer is like a new born baby who is over-enthusiastic (not always) about learning and exploring almost everything onboard ship. Now though he or she is at the least position of responsibility and cannot be blamed in case of any mishap, the consequences of any wrongdoing can be dangerous to other personnel on ship. For this reason, junior engineers should be properly briefed both before they join the ship and onboard ship by office and ship’s staff.

Also, though the responsibility of the junior engineer is of the 2^nd engineer of the vessel and the over all in charge is the chief engineer, the junior engineer himself should himself take care of certain things to avoid getting into trouble or causing any kind of dangerous accident.

We have enumerated top 14 points that a junior engineer on ship must not do to avoid landing him or her into any kind of trouble or creating any fatal situation on board ship.

1. Don’t Wander Around on Ship without Informing

Now we know that being new to an interesting place like ship can make anyone highly intriguing; therefore a junior engineer should show some restrain and also should not go to any part of the ship in working and off hours without informing a senior officer.

2. Don’t take any decision related to work without consulting

A junior engineer has been sent to a ship to observe seniors and learn from them. Because of lack of experience, a junior engineer should never take any work related decisions.  He must not touch or explore any machinery, switches or valves in the engine room without senior officer’s permission.

3. Don’t Go Onboard Main Deck without Informing

A junior engineer must know how to take care of himself and should give utmost importance to personal safety. He must not go out on the main deck without informing anyone onboard, especially during rough weather.

4. Have Doubts? – Stop there!

Even while working under senior officer, a junior engineer must not take any kind of further actions if he/she is in any kind of doubt regarding the work. Wait, ask, and then proceed.

5. Don’t Take Any Shortcut

It is obvious that anyone who is new to the working environment of the ship might get a bit frustrated and can start avoiding work or taking short cuts. A junior engineer should never indulge in taking any kind of shortcut for he would not be aware of the consequences. Tempted to take a shortcut? Stop! Ask the senior and take a brief break instead.

6. Don’t go to the Shore without informing

As interesting as the ship is to the junior engineer, equally interesting is going out on shore leave when the ship is at ports. A junior engineer should never ever step off the ship without informing seniors, or else it can land him in great trouble. In case he wants shore leave, 2^nd engineer or Chief engineer must be asked.

7. Avoid Messing with Environmental Policies

With the rise in awareness around the world regarding marine pollution, environmental policies should be the last thing a junior engineer should mess with, even if he or she is forced by any senior officer. In case of pressure from the senior officer to carry out any kind of mal practice on board ship, the junior engineer should directly inform ship’s captain or chief engineer regarding the issue.

8. Avoid Arguments – Be a Team Player

A ship has very less number of people working on board. They have to stick together through all kind of situations, irrespective of personal and professional differences. A junior engineer should try his best to avoid getting into any kind of argument with the seniors and should make the best out of the golden opportunity he has got to learn and update him or herself.

Respect seniors and fellow crew members, even if they shout or scold, it is for junior engineer’s own good.

9. Don’t Indulge in any kind of Mal Practices

Sometimes monotonous routines or lucrative intentions can provoke a person on board to indulge in mal practices. Being someone who is just starting his or her career, a junior engineer should stay away from all kind of mal practices on board ship in order to prevent threat to the professional career.

10. Don’t Skip Safety Procedure and Life saving equipments

Personal safety should be given utmost importance on ship. A junior engineer should know and learn how to use all personal safety equipments and should never skip any safety procedure, related to both machine safety and personal safety.

11. Don’t Miss Safety Meeting and Drills

Proper training at the start of the career adequately grooms the officer as he forwards on the hierarchy level. A junior engineer should never miss any safety meeting, personal protective equipment training, and drills on board ship. These important sessions play a great role in deciding how an officer will react in times of emergencies.

12. Be Honest – Made a mistake? Admit it!

No one is perfect, and being a junior engineer you are tend to make mistakes. Even if you make a major one, admit the mistake and take the blame. This would not only help you remember the lesson learnt but also prevent any kind of accident that can take place from the same. It would also make seniors respect you!

13. Keep Away from Strangers

When a ship is at port, several people come on board ship for some or the other work. A junior engineer should always be careful whom he or she talks to, for there are people who would try to take undue advantage of your lack of experience. In order to prevent any such incident, do not deal or talk directly with any person coming on board.

14. Shun Restlessness! Practice Patience

A junior engineer should know how to keep his cool for it will help him in the long run to face and tackle emergency situations. Don’t be overenthusiastic and restless. Learn to develop patience as haste will lead you nowhere.

Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Merchant Navy Zone. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Merchant Navy Zone do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.

The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Merchant Navy Zone.

Top 5 Female Sailors of the Marine World

Women have taken the world by storm on different occasions, for different reasons.  Sadly that has never stopped world from judging them as ‘weaker’ sex. But that only means women have sought even greater pleasure in proving their mettle time and again. Marine world was a world considered way out of a woman’s domain.

However, the notion changed when woman sailors arrived and arrived big. Here is a list of top woman sailors who changed the history forever.

1.       Grace O’ Malley

Considered one of the best female sailors of the world, her life presents a tale of heroism, sailing skills and determination. She was born in Ireland and took over sailing after her father’s death. But  when she did that, she not only set out to do what she loved but also to prove to the world that she was just as fine as any of her male counterparts when it came to sea life.

Even though history refers her as the greatest female ‘pirate’ of the world, there is no denying the fact that her sailing skills were better than most of the male sailors at the time, hence making her such an efficient pirate. Also it indicates the extent of traditional norms that she broke through her life and earned her current status. Pirate or not, Grace O’ Malley continues to be one of the best female sailors of the world.

2.       Skipper Thuridur

One of the world’s earliest woman sailors, Skipper Thuridur was a celebrated fishing captain in Iceland. Considered to be a pro at sailing and all its aspects especially rowing and steering of heavy wooden open boats, her skills made her one of the most efficient fishing captains in the area.

Her sailing career started at a young age of eleven years when she first joined her father’s fishing crew, never to leave it again. It was then that she discovered the true love of her life and paved way for many more female sailors to come in the future.

3.       Krystyna Chojnowska- Liskiewicz 

On 21^st April, 1978, the world history changed for better and forever. A young woman sailor docked her ship ‘Mazurek’, a Conrad in Poland becoming the first female sailor of the world to have single handedly circumnavigated the earth.

She completed her voyage in a span of 401 says without any break. Her trip was eventful, journey was difficult but the ultimate reward was sweeter than entire toil.

4.       Naomi James

A young sea ‘fearing’ but determined woman set out to test waters of the world’s oceans and returned a meager 272 days later on 8^thJune, 1978.

The reason this span has been referred to as meager is because her trip was around the world! Completing a circumnavigation of earth in 272 days, this young woman sailor broke the earlier record for the same held by Sir Francs Chichester by two days. Add to it the fact that she made this trip on her own and you shall be able to appreciate extent of her skill and prowess at sailing much better.

5.       Kay cottee

This Australian sailor made the world sit and notice her presence when she completed a single handed voyage around the world in a span of 189 days.

In 1988, at an age of 34 years, she set out from Watsons Bay to travel across the globe in her yacht named ‘ Blackmore’s first lady’. 189 days later, she made an entry into the Sydney Harbor and the world history for ever. Securing her name in the list of top female sailors of the world, she became an inspiration for many more like her.

Female sailors have made their presence felt. These are only five of such women who changed the world but there are numerous such women who have contributed to the marine world by breaking the norms and just going for what their hearts desired.

Do you think there are more fabulous female sailors that are worth mentioning? If yes, we would love to hear about them.

Are Rest and Working Hours Regulations for Seafarers Overrated?

The concept of rest hours and working hourson board ships is probably overrated. People from the industry have lately been harping on thorough implementation of rest and working hours’ regulations on board ships. However, the fact is those working on ships already know how to manage these hours quite well, irrespective of any document or regulations stating the same.

Going by the rest and working hours’ regulations, “rest” on board ships technically means sleep. However, working conditions on ships are way too different. In a planned sort of work, one can have planned hours of sleep, but in case of a breakdown or some problem, even if one is sent to sleep, he won’t be able to do so as his mind would be over-engaged with the existing problem.

The implementation of MLC 2006 is undoubtedly meant to benefit the seafarers, but in formulating certain provisions, they have gone overboard without realizing that the best people to make and enforce such rules for resting hours are those who are working on board ships. Though these rules would surely help seafarers globally to a certain extent, the truth is even without these rules; maritime professionals working on ships surely know how to look after each other without any one telling them how to do so.

Seafarers on board ships are good at keeping a track of working hours of their fellow mates. If a person has been working continuously, his colleague wouldn’t hesitate to take his place and ask him to come back after a certain period of time. On the other hand the relieved person would happily accept the concern shown by his colleagues and in most of the cases turn up earlier as he would be concerned about his colleague and also about the job that the other guys are doing and the stuff he’s missing out on.

Also, one cannot expect every shipping document to be perfect. People need to understand that more than the document it’s the spirit of a particular provision that is more important. It is not necessary that MLC 2006 would be written by people having long experiences of shipboard work. Thus, we shouldn’t be afraid to modify, adjust and innovate, but of course within limits.

Rest and working hours violations are serious. If rest hours are not given at all repeatedly or if there is dissatisfaction among seafarers, then it is a serious matter.  But if a certain number of “Xs” are not put on the excel sheets, it shouldn’t be considered an issue to be concerned about. Presently on most of the ships, the juniors sit down on a certain day and affix crosses (“x”) on working hours sheets of all professionals, obtain their signatures, and stack them in fat files. Needless to say, most of the seafarers consider these rules just a formality, which needs to be done away with whenever required.

Many a times seafarers on ships get overworked, say, when calling Singapore port( example) for taking fuel oil and lube oil bunkers, provisions, stores and spares during a limited port stay. They manage all these jobs along with the inward and outward maneuvering of the ship in the port. This increases their working hours substantially.  However, seafarers have always been managing such jobs sportingly and with the right spirit. They then compensate later by catching up on sleep when the ship is in open seas. When such habits occur naturally to a seafarer, one need not bother too much about the quantum of “X” marks on certain sheets related to working hours documentation.

Thus, in spite of all the regulations enforcing controlled rest and working hours for seafarers on ships, the right work-life balance on ship is achieved by the seafarers themselves who perfectly know how to adapt to any kind of working condition.

Having said all this, if the whole issue of rest hours is considered from a different angle, fatigue and stress on board ships, in many cases, is the result of incompetence and bad habits. A competent and skilled seafarer, who loves his job, is rarely seen complaining of fatigue. Hours of work and hours of rest are simply meaningless for such seafarers.

How to Become a Ship’s Cook : Types of Galley Jobs

Out of the various jobs on ships, one of the most important and often neglected-to-mention professions is that of a ship’s cook. Deckhands are the ones who serve meals to people aboard a ship but the responsibility of making those meals falls on the shoulders of a ship’s cook. Hence, if one aims to pursue the career of a chief cook, it is very important to first understand as to how to become a ship’s cook.

In layman terms, the galley is what is generally known as the kitchen of the ship. There are various types of ship galley jobs on ships. Every such galley jobs on ship are unique and allow a person to gain a lot of experience and proficiency so as to advance in the hierarchy.

Photograph by Shailesh Jani

The point of hierarchy is very relevant because just like in other areas of jobs on ship, even ship galley jobs follow a particular hierarchy. Every person aspiring to be a ship’s cook, after getting the necessary educational qualification, reaches the highest point in the galley only through the hierarchy.

The following points mentioned below will elaborate on the aspects of educational qualification, types of ship galley jobs, and the hierarchy that these jobs follow:

Educational Requirements: The basic requirement for having jobs on ship and in the galley is about knowing how to cook. This being the case, a person aspiring to be a ship’s cook has to have the necessary degrees from recognized institutions and universities that provide courses on culinary subjects. In addition to this, a person also needs to have a prior work experience for a minimum of at least two years. Experience is a very important factor because of the hugeness of the field where a person is required to work. An experienced person will know how to deal better with a larger crowd of people as opposed to someone who is completely inexperienced and unaware. Also, when it comes to experience, it has to be noted that certain ship galley jobs accept candidates who have experience in terms of restaurants and hotels on land while some strictly require a previous experience of working in a ship as the ship’s cook.

Types of Ship Galley Jobs: The aspect of hierarchy is a major factor that comes into place here. The sub-points of various jobs on ship pertaining to a ship’s galley, according to the hierarchy will help clarify further:

• The Chief Cook: This is the highest level in the hierarchy of ship galley jobs. The chief cook is the one who is in-charge of the galley as a whole. He is also known as the Executive Cook. It is the chief cook’s responsibility to check for the menus and assign duties to other professionals working in the galley.
• The Assistant Chief Cook: As the name suggests, the assistant chief cook is required to assist the chief cook in the planning and organising of meals and menus. Also the duty of the assistant chief cook extends to maintaining the presentation aspect of the meals and menus.
• The First Cook: It is the duty of the first cook to oversee the preparation of meals and menus in the galley. The first cook is further assisted by the second and the third cook when it comes to the preparation of meals and menus.
• Second and Third Cook: Their main duty extends to helping and assisting the first cook in the preparation of meals and thus ensuring uninterrupted flow of quality meals to the people aboard the ship.
• The Party Chef: The more formal name for this professional is the ‘Chef de Partie.’ As the name suggests, the party chef is the one who is responsible for planning and managing party meals in a ship. Buffet meals also come under the purview of this particular ship’s cook.

These are the main jobs on ship in the ship’s galley. Some of the other jobs on ship include Cook Trainee, Assistant Cook Trainee, Storekeeper, Assistant Storekeeper and Pastry Man.

It needs to be noted that ship galley jobs are very lucrative and the pay is very high. This is a major attracting factor for being a ship’s cook. In addition to this factor, another USP of being a ship’s cook is the fact that the job offers a very high level of exposure to not just various places but also various dishes and cuisines in the world.

With so many benefits and features, there can be no denying that working on ship galley jobs is not derogatory but is a matter of dignity and appreciation. The shipping industry would not be as flourishing, popular and thriving without the added advantage of excellent chefs and cooks who prepare food for ship’s crew and passengers.

INDos Number and its Benefits to Indian Seafarers

INDos number can be considered equivalent of a complete identity for every seafarer in India. It is a computerized national database that includes important information of every certified seafarer in India. This information has been compiled in a single database to make it easily accessible for statutory authorities like Flag State, Port State, employers and Immigration staff etc.
INDos number stands for Indian National Database of Seafarers. A complete INDos number includes a seafarer’s full name, address, photographs, signature, telephone number, qualifications etc. It is made of eight alphanumeric characters and can provide as a means to crosscheck a seafarer’s identity.

INDos number is an example of better technology entering the Indian marine industry to make matters simpler and better to handle. The biggest advantage of such marine identification number is that it provides a centralized base for all the information of a seafarer at one place. This means every certified seafarer working in or from India will be provided with such a number, making it easier to access his/her information.

Credits: Sudan Maden/Flikr

Also, this number allows a quick system for cross reference. Any company or authority can easily run a background check on any seafarer’s claims and qualifications, using this simple number and a single database. Easy to use INDos number checker comes in handy for the cross reference with centralized database.

An INDos number ensures authenticity of a seafarer’s qualification. Possessing this number makes it much easier for a person to find a job in the merchant navy. Marine numbers are issued after strict and close examination which rules out any chance for error. This is exceptionally beneficial for seafarers as this number alone is sufficient to speak for genuineness of their qualifications.

Besides this, having an INDos number eliminates the need for a seafarer to carry his original documents with him all the time, especially when working abroad. This single marine number is a sufficient identity proof for any seafarer to pass as a certified mariner throughout the world.

With a single INDos number, complete identity of a seafarer can be found out. It includes his/her basic information like name, photograph, address and qualifications. Every Indian and foreign national holding a Certificate of Competency given by the Indian government or the Continuous Discharge Certificate or someone who has completed modular courses approved by DG shipping is issued such number before entering into the merchant navy.  This means a better system of record keeping and a better tracking of whereabouts of every seafarer from India. That comes as a remarkable advantage in industry like marine industry where there are no fixed boundaries of work.

What Are The Duties Of A Ship’s Lookout?

A lookout is a person at the ship’s bridge who maintains a continuous watch of the sea to report any kind of hazard that can be an obstacle in the navigation and cause harm to the ship. According to COLREG, a lookout is required to give his uninterrupted attention at all times to the ship’s navigation in order to inform the officer on watch (OOW) about other ships, shipwrecks, debris, floating objects etc.
Though the job might sound simple, the duty of a lookout is a responsible one and should be taken with utmost seriousness. Lookout helps in carrying out the duties of the officer on watch (OOW) more efficiently.

The lookout should inform the officer on watch when he observes any of the following:

• Any kind of floating object
• Navigation mark or lights
• Any type of distress signal from other ships or ports
• Land
• Ice, irrespective of size or form
• Any type of ship irrespective of its size
• Sandbags or prominent navigational features
• Problem with any of the ship’s navigation systems, including navigational lights
• Any kind of hazards or derelicts that can be dangerous to the ship’s navigation

The main duties of a lookout are:

• To give utmost attention through sight, hearing, and any other means in order to assess any change in the operating environment
• Detecting and reporting on ships, shipwrecks, debris, shipwrecked person, and other navigational hazards
• Reporting on possibilities of collision,stranding, and other dangers to navigation
• The lookout should remain at his position at all times until he is relieved from his duties. On relieving, he should provide all the information to his reliever about things that he has reported.

The job of lookout is mostly carried out by Able Seaman (AB) or Ordinary seaman (OS) of the ship. However, it is to note that the lookout duties cannot be shared with other works.

Today, the job of a lookout is of utmost importance on ships plying in piracy affected areas.

8 Ways for Mariners to Fight Frustration During Job Search

Job search is no easy task. The highs and lows of it can take a toll on anyone’s morale. The circumstances that led to joblessness become redundant once you get into the phase of job search. What matters then is how well you face the current situation.

The maritime industry has been seeing the rough side of employment for some time now. Many major marine based economies have had setbacks due to sinking recession which means more seafarers find themselves looking for jobs than before. Besides, there are also those mariners who wish for a job change due to other reasons.

In end, job search is becoming a common thing for seafarers and so is the frustration that accompanies job search. Fighting off this frustration is just as important as it is easy, if there is a planned way to go about it. Here are some ways to that can be used to fight off the demons of hopelessness.

1.   Contemplate: something that most mariners in the phase of job search will get wrong is the understanding that job search is a full time job in itself. Once out of a job, it is important to realize that job search is going to be exhausting, to say the least. If you jump into it not understanding this fact, frustration is bound to sink in sooner than it should. So when you face this situation, begin your search with an understanding that it might be tougher than you anticipate.

2.   Strategize:  So the first practical thing to do to beat that frustration is to make a strategy. It will be your ready-for-action plan that will allow you to ward off any frustration that could build up later. Start with laying down what you need to do and how to do it, their order and how you will get it done. For example, lay out a plan networking that happens to be very important in job search. Getting in touch with people through phone, internet or using websites such as LinkedIn for your job search or a combination of all these (the best option!) are all probable choices and you need to make a plan how such things will be handled. However, do not spend a lot of time on making the strategy and get to work quickly.

3.   Research: This is the most important step of any job search. Your research lets you know about all the available opportunities out there for you and the resources available at your disposal. For example, if you are looking for a shore based job, start by looking what kinds of jobs are available. For example, many marine engineers are presently finding jobs as quality managers or commercial consultants, insurance inspection chiefs etc in shore based shipping companies. Start looking for all such job openings in your local area, look for people you can contact- colleagues from vessels you worked on previously or people you know who work in similar jobs. And if there is a position that you are interested in but need some special skills (like accountancy, report writing, typing or additional languages) then you should focus on finding out what they are and how to acquire them.

4.   Make over:  the frustration hits every job searcher when all search leads to a dead end. How to avoid that? Search via a new path i.e. doing things differently. Start with your resume. Make it a more achievement based depiction of experience you have gained over your years in service. Mention all skills you have acquired, tasks you have performed and chances you have taken. For example, instead of using a preformed template for resume, make one of your own from scratch. Add all your skills singularly, in bullet points.

5.   Socialize: most seafarers report highest rate of frustration once they start cutting off from rest of the world. Absence of job is a difficult situation to deal with but cutting people out of life would only make the frustration more pronounced. Best idea is to go out and meet people. Networking and forming connections is very important at this stage. Go out for lunch with someone you know, maybe even vaguely who works at a prospective company or in field of your choice. Offer to buy.

6.   Follow a schedule: Mariners, especially seafaring mariners often find it very hard to deal with situation of having no job. Sans hard routine of a ship, life seems like a void that is often filled up with frustration. What you can do to avoid it is to make a schedule and follow it. Don’t stay in bed. Get out. Do something. Meet people. Send out emails and your resume. Call everyone you might know. Get on with your job of job search.

7.   Set realistic goals: if you expected to be back at job within a month of losing your previous job, you might end up with only frustration a month later. At present, oil and gas extraction industry in America alone has one of the lowest employment rates.  Situation is similar in many other parts of the marine industry. That spells not so good news for all mariners out there who are looking for job change. Under such circumstances, it is best to understand gravity of situation and plan your job search accordingly to avoid being hit by pang of frustration when you might be very close to the end.

8.   Take a break:  Loss of job means a change in many things but giving up on things you like with the job search pressure is only going to increase frustration levels. Go out with family, have a few drinks, go fishing, read, play monopoly. Do things that make you happy and continue doing things that will lead to the final end. Just don’t give up on yourself and your dream of finding the right maritime job for you.

Who is a Ship Superintendent?

A ship superintendent is a person who is in charge of ensuring whether the necessary repair works on a ship are being executed properly, especially during the dry dock of the ship. A ship superintendent’s role and scope, when it comes to the shipping industry, is huge and requires complete alertness and vigilance because of the great responsibilities bestowed upon him.

In simple terms, a ship superintendent can also be referred to as a supervisor or an overseer. He is the one who has the documents that specify the necessary repairing and conditioning require for a ship and he is the one who has to reassure that the repairing and reconstruction of the ship is being carried out properly in the allocated shipyard or dry dock.

Credits: depositphotos.com

As mentioned above, in terms of marine jobs, the job of a ship superintendent is not an easy one. He is the one who will be blamed primarily in case there is any problem with the ship when a voyage is about to be undertaken or if the ship is in mid-sea and encounters any problem. As an overseer, a ship superintendent has to be constantly in touch with the ship repair company for updates and progress on the repairing work. This continuous diligence ensures that the ship repair company does not take any extra time and thereby any extra costs for the purpose of repairing.

A ship superintendent is generally assigned to a particular shipyard where he is provided with the paperwork of the ship that is in need of immediate attention. After getting all details about the repairs required by the ship and the paperwork, the ship superintendent, also known as ‘ship sup’, takes care of all the proceedings right from the time the ship comes to the shipyard, until the time all documents verifying that the maintenance of the ship has been carried out effectively are handed down to the concerned authorities.

However, it has to be noted that the profession of a ship superintendent is not something that one can easily apply to. There are specific institutions that provide superintendent training to become good and successful ship superintendents.

These institutions provide superintendent training to aspiring candidates on various subjects like how to respond in emergency situations, document verification and processing, how to survey the extent of damage to a ship, cost efficiency and maintaining effective budgeting and many other relevant points.

These points are important when it comes to superintendent training because only when such training is provided can a candidate be proficient in the shipping industry and prove to be an asset to the ship owner or shipping concern.

Experience is also an important factor when it comes to ship superintendents. More the experience a professional has, the better it will be when the supervising duty is taken into account. An experienced person will have a better practical idea about the duty that the profession involves than an inexperienced person. This point is therefore considered as very relevant while hiring ship superintendents.

There is no denying that the profession of ship superintendent is unique and offers lot of opportunities. As out-of-the-box professions go, there is no doubt that being a ship superintendent is one of the most prominent choices of all the other marine jobs present in the market today.

Types of Marine Jobs: Pump Man

One of the important merchant marine jobs on oil rigs is that of a pump man. In terms of merchant marine employment, the absolute requirement of a pump man to work on oil rigs has been proved time and again because pump man helps to maintain a steady and smooth functioning of the entire pipelines fitted in an oil rig or oil tankers.
The pump man’s job is something that requires continuous vigilance and alertness because he is the main person in-charge of the pipelines of an oil rig and oil tanker vessels like VLCC. His job is to ensure that all the cargo oil or drilled oil flows smoothly into the required pipes and is collected as required. If there is any problem of sludge(dirt and waste materials) accumulating in any of the numerous pipelines then the pump man has to make sure that all such waste material is duly cleaned so that no problem or hitch in the oil drilling or oil transferring process occurs. He is also responsible for repairing of damaged pipelines before any accident stands to occur.
This is why the pump man is a part of the engineering hierarchy of an oil rig. His duty necessitates that he is physically present all days of a week for work hours that vary anywhere between eight to 12 hours per day. This is the reason why as a part of merchant marine employment, pump men get paid around US $ 50, 000 as their starting pay scale.

Another very important feature about this particular profession when compared to other merchant marine jobs is that their work schedule is generally drawn for a longer time that could extend to several and long months in a year. However, when compared to other merchant marine employment, the profession of a pump man does not offer any safeguard measures or security with respect to the job.

A pump man, in addition to keeping an eye on the pipelines also has to be very efficient while responding to emergency situations. To put it simply, the duties of a pump man can be explained as being threefold: supervision, maintenance and critical-situation response.

Experience is an important factor that counts more than educational qualification in order to opt for merchant marine employment of that of a pump man. The more experience a person has, the better it is while handling the operations on oil rig as a pump man.

Being a pump man is again one of those professions that are unique and singular. Out of the various merchant marine jobs, the profession of a pump man offers a person the chance to enjoy and be a part of the oil drilling process and also simultaneously understand how the entire technical and engineering aspects function on an oil rig.

How to Use “Google Alerts” to Find Maritime Jobs?

We assume that you are a fresh graduate, just out of a maritime academy, or an experienced maritime professional who is looking for a desperate change by finding a new job. You have already checked every website from the list of maritime job websites and have even posted your resume in each one of them. But we know that landing oneself a job is not an easy task, especially in this difficult economy. Moreover, keeping a constant watch on the latest job postings on all these maritime job sites can turn out to be a tedious task.

But as they say sometimes when you want something the most, there is no easy way out. The only way is to keep trying, hard and even harder. It may take few days, few weeks, or even few months to get a decent maritime job. However, if you carry out your job hunting smartly, you can reduce this time drastically.

Internet has made things extremely easy in almost all arenas, including the maritime jobs sector. In this article, we will learn about an unconventional way to keep yourself updated with the latest maritime job postings on the whole of world wide web, as and when it happens.

Let’s find out how to use “Google Alerts” to find a maritime job.

Find the step-by-step procedure to set up Google Alert in your Gmail Account.

1. First and foremost thing you would need to set up google alert service is a gmail account. If you don’t have one, make one here – Free Gmail Account

2. Now go to Google Alerts and Sign in with your Gmail Username and Password.

Go to Google Alerts

Your Google Alert Page Would Look like this

3. On the screen you will find 3 options to set-up. Select the three options as mentioned below:

•  Type: Everything

• How Often: As-it-happens

• Volume: All results

If you have logged in using your gmail username and password, the “Your Email” Option would reflect your email id.

4. Now in the top-most space, beside the “Preview Results”, put a keyword which would reflect the type of maritime jobs you are looking for. We would put a general term to get a wide range of results. For e.g. –“ Merchant Navy Jobs”

 After entering the appropriate keyword, hit “Preview Results”. You will get a preview on your right side.

 5. If you are satisfied with the keyword and the preview, hit “Create Alert”.  You will be taken to the list of your google alerts. You may create more alerts, by clicking “create a new alert”. Congratulations! You have just created your first google alert.

6. Once done, your gmail account will start receiving updates of the latest job postings around the internet on various maritime job websites and forum boards.  (This might take from few minutes to few hours).

Below are some keywords you may use to generate alerts. You can generate as many keywords as you want.

Keywords:

• Merchant navy jobs
• Maritime jobs
• Marine Engineering jobs
• Deck Cadets Jobs
• Deck officer Jobs
• Ship’s Captain Jobs

Use your creativity with keywords and keep a watch on the type of alerts you receive. You can add or delete alerts according to your requirements.

Google Alerts is a useful tool not only to keep a track of various maritime jobs on the internet, but is also a great way to keep oneself updated with the latest maritime trends and news.

How to Become a Marine Engineer?

Marine engineering is a job that is very much sought after in recent years. The growth of the industry and the continued research and development in the field has rubbed off on the academic study of this engineering field and more people have started to opt for it. The increase in the commercial activities, across the seas also had a positive impact on marine engineering with unprecedented rise in the number of merchant navy vessels and trading. All this has had a positive impact on the job market in this dynamic sector. Certain attributes are pre-requisite for any job on the merchant navy or as a marine engineer, whereas there are other required qualifications which are different for different profiles.

There are colleges that offer both degree and post graduate courses in marine engineering. For someone who has ambitions of becoming a marine engineer, this is supposed to be the first base. The eligibility, required to take an admission in these courses is pretty much the same around the world and that is senior secondary certificate.

Representation Image – Credits: fotolia.com

The length of the graduate course of engineering may vary slightly in some countries, but in general it is 4 years, wherein the student undergoes comprehensive training in both theoretical as well as practical aspects of the science. In some cases the practical sessions are conducted in-house and some of the sessions are also conducted at the real sites like shipyards.

The theoretical subjects include, apart from English, which is the most widely understood and used language in merchant navy, computer science, applied mathematics, physics, electronics and marine management. Besides these there are also many other topics that are covered and students are educated regarding environmental science, maritime commerce and control systems etc. These trainings are necessary for anyone aspiring to be a marine engineer or want a job in the merchant navy because it not only adds to the mental abilities but also inculcates physical attributes. Practical training of the aspirant includes Magnetic and Gyro compasses, electronic navigational aids like the Radar, Decca etc, Chart work, practical navigation and astronomy.

For better prospects in the existing job or the open job market, a Masters degree in marine engineering is definitely advisable. The training albeit enhanced is not that difficult, especially for a graduate student of the same discipline as it comprises mostly of lab hours that put into practice the various principles of engineering studied previously. Creating a portfolio helps anybody trying to climb the hierarchy of seniority in the merchant navy. In any case, the most successful in this field are definitely the ones who had a clear idea of what they wanted out of this industry and which of their characteristics suited it the best.

With the recent studies predicting a steady growth in the international trade, this industry is more or less set to keep on progressing. This is because ‘shipping’ is still the easiest and cheapest mode of transportation around the world. Therefore the profile of a marine engineer would remain a center of attraction for the youths for long time to come.