9 Successful Techniques to Get Promoted On Ships

When it comes to marine careers, getting promoted on board ships requires the same amount of hard work and persistence as that required in other professions.“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.” The saying holds true for individuals who are persistent and remorseless at work.The career graph of successful people is ever climbing. Luck too, plays an important role in career advancement. Although everyone tries their best, only a few get through. Today, competitiveness is the buzz around and being noticed at work was never cited as important. Of course, this means being competent at work is just not enough; it also requires an optimistic and a direct approach.

‘Career progression’ within the maritime industry is no different. Turns out that even maritime professionals love their promotions and bettering their skill levels. The ritual of climbing higher in the maritime hierarchy is more often than not, tedious, for most. An ‘upgrade’ to most mariners relates to more “pay” and a psychological step up over their junior ranks. Some have the ascent smooth while others have it rutted. Needless to say, mariners always have to be motivated and throw away personal reflections while remaining adapted to their monotonous lives on board.

Sometimes an expected promotion for maritime jobs doesn’t come up along and one ends up cursing the profession, agitated!  So, rather than loosing valuable time and mental health in trying to figure out what possibly could have gone wrong, culturing the appropriate way and improvising your efforts might dish out newer opportunities. Mentioned herein are nine successful techniques to get promoted on ships.

1. Become worthy – Building up worthiness at your place of work is the key to success. No one ever got promoted on ships without being commendable for the upgrade. Success is something one doesn’t get over on a silver platter. This is only possible if one carries out the existing maritime job responsibilities and duties effectively and efficiently. For e.g. a Second Engineer has to absorb and apply all the technical knowledge to be worthy enough to fit into the Chief Engineer’s role and likewise a Chief Officer has to be entirely in control to command over a ship. 

2. Excelling at work – In order to stand out on ships, one must be dedicated to his/her work. Good organizations keep an eye on those who show keenness and commitment to their jobs giving first place results. Enthusiasm is good, but when it is coupled with one’s potential, results are excellent. For example, when a Second Officer, time after time, performs his navigational duties exceptionally, he someday is sure to get hold of his superior’s eye for a better outcome.

3. Staying up front and volunteering – To enhance credentials, be a volunteer at jobs on ships. It is always better to exchange your views and experiences that will make your job to be effectively carried out.  The company management are always on look out for persons who can handle more responsibilities. To get into their good books, a fourth Engineer on ship for example, can always come up and assist the Third when the generators are being overhauled or look into more of Third Engineer’s duties likewise. But it is also vital that the Fourth Engineer doesn’t shirk away from his current duties.

4. Showcasing leadership – For maritime professionals aspiring to get higher ranks on board ship, it is imperative to highlight one’s strengths and showcase professional leadership qualities. Professionalism at workplace is crucial for one’s success. To get into the Captain’s seat, the Chief Officer has to exhibit abilities to lead and motivate the crew members. He also has to be a team player, respect subordinates, and seed new ideas. A ship’s captain’s profile is full of authority and responsibilities. The person hopeful to become one on ship has to fully merge himself into the role for becoming a responsible leader.

5. Building good interpersonal relations – It is very noteworthy to build up good personal relations with colleagues, subordinates and of course the superiors. Overall, a good professional image always plays a key role when the management is making decisions for a promotion on ships. This doesn’t mean that one always has to be a “Yes Master”. Mariners in general, are a shy group of people who usually keep to themselves.  For an upgrade, avoiding people would do no good. Initially one can at least try and be involved in professional discussions like for example, having regular safety or work related meetings among the management or the even the subordinates before slowly catching up on being socially interactive. This might help in making you and others around you to be comfortable in professional as well as personal relationships. 

6. Learn new things each day – Learn everyday! Life teaches us something that we never thought existed and that too constantly. One must always improve one’s personality and profile by learning newer things on board ships and to do so have the right aptitude. Be it a junior officer who is ready to take on whatever comes to get a level higher or an engineering officer who is ready to take on the next senior position, keeping one updated to the latest skills and techniques will only help in improving one’s proficiency.

7.Emphasize on your positive past – Experts say it is not erroneous to ring a bell in your superior’s ear of your positive happenings or successes in the past when it’s time to cite references for a promotion. Since maritime professionals stay together for a brief period of time unlike other professions, won’t you think it may be good to highlight the recent positive outcomes for a better appraisal? Tell your seniors on board ships about the past experiences you are proud of.

8. Being a self starter – One should try and recurrently surpass expectations on board ships by taking up professional challenges and turning them into positive and effective outcomes. Staying within an organisation and becoming a successful ‘achiever’ requires one to have the right attitude, dedication to work and a will to succeed.

9. The Tested Technique – Although good companies reward their efficient employees, they sometimes do so at a snail’s pace. Not surprisingly, mariners are known to frequently shift organisations for a promotion. Sometimes a fast track mode used for getting atop the shipboard hierarchy might not be better than a deserving, “long and hard earned battle” to reach the top. Finally, to this it’s you who has to decide whether jumping tracks appears more viable for getting an upgrade or earning it seems to be better off for getting promoted on board ships.

These are some of the tried and tested methods to climb the hierarchy level on ships. Are you aware of any other important ways to get a deserving position on board ships? If yes, please share it with others in the comments below.

Duties of A Bosun (Boatswain) on a Ship

When one watches movies of ships and boats, the name of a boatswain or a bosun stands out quite clearly.The name bosun is actually derived from the original term boatswain that was used to describe these professionals for the first time in England in the 15th century. In today’s times, however, both bosun and boatswain are used commonly to describe the people working in this profession. For the purposes of this article, we will use the word Bosun hereon.To understand the role of the Bosun, we must first look at the career progression for the same. A trainee OS (ordinary seaman) after having gained the appropriate experience becomes an OS. Following that, after gaining further experience, the OS is promoted to the rank of an AB (able bodied seaman). When the AB is deemed by the company to be well experienced and in possession of the requisite skills to be one, he is promoted to the rank of the Bosun.  A bosun has to be thorough with seamanship practices and must possess considerable knowledge in the the aspects of  knots, hitches, bends, whipping, and splices for anchoring the vessel, among other things.The main duties of bosuns revolve in the deck area of the ship. The Bosun is a member of the deck department and his duty, among others, is to supervise the deck crew of the vessel. The bosun is also involved, under the purview of the Chief Officer (and eventually the Master), in the planning, scheduling and assigning of work to the deck crew on ship. To further simplify his role, a Bosun has to ensure that the lowermost workers are effective in their duties and that the ship’s officers are able to carry out their quota of work without constant direct involvement with the crew’s deck work and all other aspects involving the deck crew.

Bosuns are required to be experienced because when it comes to the deck crew sailors they are the superiors. The more experience a person has being a boatswain, the more helpful he will be to maintain the efficiency and the promptness required on the deck. The experience to become a bosun is gained by the years one puts as a deck sailor.

It has to be noted that since the responsibility of Bosuns is quite large, the pay given to them is also high. Shipping companies usually pay the Bosun a premium amount as compared to other deck crew seeing as his experience and responsibilities are considerably more. The pay is decided by the Unions set up specifically for professionals who are existing bosuns or aspire to be bosuns.

Initially, before ships were fitted with equipment like GPS and computers and other technologies, the boatswain was also required to have technical knowledge about a ship’s geographic positioning and many other important details. But after these equipment came to be used extensively, the technical know-how for bosuns has stopped to be compulsory requirements.

General Duties Of The Bosun

• Planning the daily work schedule under the purview of the Chief Officer and assigning the required work to the appropriate members of the deck crew. For example, a job that requires more experience will be assigned to an AB rather than an OS
• Seeing that the work assigned to the crew is realised to the end
• Maintaining the deck of the ship; tasks involve chipping, painting, buffing etc and overall maintenance of the deck
• Maintenance of the windlass of the ship to ensure its optimum performance during stations. Also, to perform repair work on board as required
• Being thorough with the firefighting aspects of the ship and ensuring that other deck crew are thorough as well
• Responsible for the ship’s deck stores, paint locker, Bosun store and other such areas as assigned to the Bosun by the Chief Officer
• Ensuring that the mooring operations, anchoring or the vessel is carried out efficiently
• Inform the Chief Officer of the progress of the deck work being carried out
• Being the connect between the officers and the crew with regard to shipboard work

To categorise the general duties of the Bosun, they can be classified under the following headings:

1. Supervision: As mentioned above, the Bosun supervises the deck crew for the work that they carried out and to ensure that the work carried out is of appropriate quality and is done on time
2. Maintenance: A couple of points cover this aspect; to reiterate the importance of it, the Bosun ensures work is out carried out in the assigned areas to ensure that the deck is maintained properly. Aside from preventive maintenance, the Bosun also is a guide to the junior members of the crew to understand the importance of deck work and its effective execution
3. Mooring/Anchoring: From the time when the mooring lines are laid out deck prior to reaching port, right to the time when the ship is cast off, the Bosun plays a crucial role in efficient operations of the vessel. The same applies to anchoring of the vessel

To sum it up, the Bosun plays a vital role in ensuring that the ship is seaworthy. Being the proxy between the officers and the crew, the Bosun is essential and imperative to the smooth functioning of the ship.

Views Of A Master Mariner about sea life, Training, Corruption in the Industry Today

The rank of a Master Mariner is the pinnacle of achievement in the merchant navy. Years of training, hard work, rigorous examinations, experience at sea and mental and physical constitution later, a cadet finally achieves what he has always looked up to- taking command of a vessel.

While at a training institute, a newbie always has ample questions with regard to the profession and what it is due to bring in terms of professional success, relentlessly posing questions to Masters about their time out at sea including all the trials and tribulations that career brought with it, and naturally.

We at Merchant Navy Zone (MN-Z) thought it to prudent to bring forward to our readers’ first-hand experiences from Masters which would bring clarity from a stalwart’s viewpoint and at the same time help them understand the profession a little more.

With this in mind, we interviewed two very respected Masters from two different backgrounds (one who started as a cadet and another who come from the Indian Navy background eventually switching over to the merchant navy).

Capt. Subroto Khan (SK) is a Master Mariner who, after extensive experience out at sea, is currently a faculty member at the Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies. Capt. Vivek Scudder (VS) is also a Master Mariner who is currently Senior Faculty at the RL Institute of Nautical Sciences. We (MN-Z)got their views on their time at sea, the current scenario in the industry, what is lacking and the steps they think will improve the quality of officers onboard ships. Here’s what they had to say.

MN-Z: At first, I’m sure everyone would like to know more about you – school, college, pre-sea, cadetship, becoming a Master Mariner and your cadetship experience.

SK: I had completed my schooling from The Doon School, Dehradun where I came to know about the prestigious and lucrative career at sea from one of my classmates who happens to be a successful Superintendent today in a major shipping company in Singapore. I tried to enter as a direct entry cadet but did not succeed. Finally, I appeared for the IIT JEE exam where one of the options along with the IITs was the option to join the Merchant navy either through TS Rajendra in Mumbai or the DMET in Kolkata.I opted for the 2-year pre-sea training at TS Rajendra and along with 80 other cadets, joined the training at Ferry Wharf on a bright November morning.

Two years flew by in rigorous training, with the fear of not getting a ship after training looming constantly over us. I was lucky to get the Great Eastern Shipping Scholarship making me somewhat assured of a placement after passing out. I joined the Great Eastern Shipping Company in Dec ‘85 and the first ship was a brand new ship which had just arrived at Butcher Is. on its maiden voyage to Mumbai. 

VS: I studied at the King George’s School, Bangalore and thereafter at the Lawrence School, Lovedale. Following that, I did my college from St. Xavier’s, Mumbai. I am an ex-naval cadet and officer. I joined the merchant navy as a Chief Officer in 1989 with the South India Shipping Corporation Ltd. that later merged with Essar Shipping Ltd. Both were excellent companies.

MN-Z: What about the competency exams (how hard were they, how did you go about studying for them, how was life through prep- broke/basic living etc, the feeling upon clearing).

SK: I completed my seat time in 3 other ships to eventually appear for my competency exams in 1988. It was difficult financially along with the fear of facing the surveyors at MMD, always was a harsh reminder when we were out partying during exams! There was an immense urgency to clear the exams in the shortest possible time as the recession was at its peak.I finally joined Great Eastern after clearing my ticket and got my command as a Master in 1995.

VS: I did my Masters course at LBS in Mumbai in 1990 and got my command as a Master in 1993. The exams were very tough back then, especially the orals.

MN-Z: Difference among cadets now and back then? What are the improvements needed in training? 

SK: Today the cadets are too distracted and hence are not able to do justice to their profession.The pride of being a seafarer is a trait difficult to find.They need to be dedicated to their profession and be eager to learn every day. I remember a Chief Officer who told us to show him 5 new things we learned on a daily basis and to always maintain a diary to note down things.

The ship staff is too busy to find adequate time to spend on training but they need to ensure the juniors are groomed and mentored so that when they come back as officers the seniors are more confident in delegating duties to them and hence their workload will be reduced automatically.Good pre-sea and onboard training for the cadets is a win-win situation for everyone – the ship staff, the company and the industry as a whole. As the mantra goes-train, train and retrain and retain.

VS: Earlier, cadets were doing 3 years of sea time before they went ahead with their 2MFG exam. That was a much better system. Now they do college for 3 years and just 1 year of sea-time which is not sufficient. They lack practical knowledge today and are usually poor in the practical aspects of COLREGs and bridge teamwork. Only 50% of the cadets are good today and many of them lack the basic knowledge of English, which imperative onboard. A master always expects a cadet onboard to display good practical knowledge and to display proficiency in navigation eventually along with cargo work and ship stability. More emphasis should be given to practical aspects of COLREGs and bridge teamwork. BTM and BRM should be part of the cadet’s syllabus. 

MN-Z: How do you address the issue of rampant corruption – the presence of agents that claim huge amount to place cadets?

SK: Corruption is raising its ugly head in placements which were not there in our time. One needs to be vigilant and ensure thorough background check before committing any money to the agents who are taking advantage of the situation. My advice to the cadets- be patient and the tides will change.Your day will come when you will get a suitable opportunity. Shortcuts can lead to disaster.

VS: Any agents in question should inevitably be in possession of an RPS License.

MN-Z: Many youngsters are not getting jobs. We do understand it depends on the market situation, but there is a huge gap between demand and supply. How can we address this issue in the long run?

SK: To ease the situation of a number of waiting trainees, the Port Trusts can help in recruiting them for their services including Pilotage. There is plenty of scope available in the Port Operations where some of the interested waiting candidates can join till the situation improves.

VS: Cut down cadet training to 20 cadets per batch per institute per year

MN-Z: Any interesting accounts from the time at sea?

SK: There are many but none that I can think off the top of my head right now. We shall revisit this question another time!

VS: Sailing from Venezuela (loaded Alumina) to Iceland (Grundartangi near Reykjavik). A very interesting and tricky voyage of 10 days of which 3 days involved navigating through ice fields and icebergs- it was awesome! Visiting Iceland itself was a great experience. Seeing those hot geysers and springs amid glaciers and experiencing sub-zero temperatures is something I will never forget!

So , We from Merchant Navy Zone (MN-Z ) Sincerly Thanks to both the master Mariners for giving us a deep knowledge of the field .

A Woman Seafarer Describes The Challenges She Faces On Board Ships

Today there is no field where the women have not shown their worth. Women have shouldered all kind of responsibilities with grand success. The entry of women into the seafaring trade is a small but a growing phenomenon.

As seafaring is conventionally a man’s world, many women fear to take it up as profession. However, I believe fear is nothing but only a product of our imagination. If you believe in yourself and if you have a strong determination, trust me, nothing is unachievable.

To be honest seafaring is an arduous task. One needs to be prepared mentally, physically and emotionally before choosing this as a profession. It requires strength and courage, however with a positive attitude and approach you are good to go.

Working on-board ship is fun and challenging for me at the same time. Everyday has been a learning day. I learn while I work. Each day comes with a new hope, a new beginning, a new lesson and new bunch of challenges. There is never an end to learning new things. It is enjoyable.

As every profession has its own set of challenges, so does the maritime industry. Being an overwhelmingly male dominated industry over the years, it presents some unique and unusual challenges, especially for the women seafarers. Here, I would like to highlight some of the challenges every women seafarer are expected to face on-board ships. I wish this article will encourage other young women to take on the same challenges as I did and make a promising career in days to come, eventually increasing the percentage of women seafarers in the industry.

Problem Of Acceptance

The first and foremost challenge that I faced on-board my first ship was of acceptance. Being accepted in the entire group of men and considering you as one of them may often seem to be time taking. As the environment is strictly male dominated, women at sea may feel left out or ignored. The only solution to it I found is to work together and earn their respect. Take initiative. There are times when I was questioned on my capabilities. Often women are pushed harder to prove their worth. Be strong and show active participation in everything you do. The maritime world is the place where different cultures, people and religion mix. People learn to live together with their differences and in mutual respect.

Fighting Loneliness

Like for any seafarer, my initial days on ship were hard to pass. Days were gloomy and I was surrounded by loneliness. Being the only women on-board I had no one to share my feelings and thoughts. Isolation can often take its toll on you. Loneliness and homesickness are some of the problems you may face. The only way I could cope up with this situation is by keeping myself engaged. I would pen down my thoughts in a personal diary and would engage in hobbies. Do artwork or sing songs, read some good books and watch movies. I would always carry some inspirational books with me on board ships. I would also load my laptop’s hard drive with some motivational movies. If there was internet on-board, it would help me to stay connected with friends and family, which would always help. I often spent my time studying and preparing for competency exams. I gave time to myself. There were several evenings I spent gazing at the endless horizon, the sun sets, watching the radiant sky and the untold beauties of nature. I soon realised life on board is so beautiful.

Dealing,With Prejudice and Stereotyping People

The first time I stepped on-board ship almost every officer and crew member asked me the same question- What am I doing here and why did I choose Merchant Navy as my career. Every time I came across a new face in this industry, the initial topic of our conversation would begin with the same questions. It was very discouraging and disconcerting. Most seamen are stereotypes (No offence to anyone) and have a common belief that women have no business on board ship. It is solely their world and they are the only rulers. Some even advised me to quit my career and look for jobs ashore. They considered household work as the sole responsibility of women. They always highlighted the negative aspects of shipping as a career and often tried to make me realise that I am too weak and incompetent to do a man’s job. But I strongly believed that that the universe favours the brave. Willpower is the essential virtue of a fully actualised life. I waged war against the weaker thoughts that crept into my mind, strengthened myself ceaselessly and worked meticulously to prove myself and win their trust. It was not too late that my seniors started to rely upon me and gave me equal importance and respect.

Lack of Basics For Women Seafarers

I have noticed that the ship’s culture is a reflection of masculine norms and values. On my first day of work I was quite surprised to find that neither the uniform nor any of the working overalls matched my size. I had to manage myself anyhow in baggy boiler suits and oversized boots. Everyone on board took it for granted that they will never have a women working onboard along with them. Finally I had to personally request my senior officers to provide me with shoes and overalls of my size. In addition to it though I could reach most of the spaces on board, at times I also experienced some physical shocks owning to the design of space which reflects an assumption that the environment of ship is male territory .

Facing Narrow-mindedness

All men think and react differently. On-board if you have a good relationship with a particular male colleague, it can foment jealousy and also lead to  favouritism. It can result in loss of unity and ignorance. I was subjected to bilious remarks by many crew members; some of them even stopped interacting with me and deserted me at work. I have learnt that it is better to mix and mingle with all equally than to give space and importance to anyone in particular. It is better not to be too close or over friendly to avoid bullying by others on board.

Adapting To Mental and Physical Stress

I have worked only on container vessels so far. Containerships generally experience frequent port calls. On an average we visit a port every second day. The sailing time is too short. My sleep was disturbed by erratic and arrhythmic working hours and duty calls. After completing 8 hours of shift I practically got no time to rest and was called on bridge during pilotage. It seemed annoying and beyond my endurance power. It was mentally exhausting as well. Shipboard life is not as easy as it seems to be. Being a woman I was never given any preference to rest more or work less even though it was toilsome (neither I asked for it as I wanted to be accepted as “equal”). In fact I worked harder and sometimes more than my male counterparts to prove my competency as an officer.

Proving My Competency

In my initial days of training I was also sent on deck to tighten the lashing gear on the containers to keep them safe in rough seas offshore. Because of their heavy weight I found it too hard to handle them. Adding to that, working under the scorching sun totally enervated me. My fellow mates were so versatile and they could do it even single handed. They often looked at me with askance questioning my competency. I had to come out of my comfort zone and worked hard to prove my worth. Though it was difficult in the beginning I carried on assiduously and my confidence began to burgeon. As I worked harder, I gained physical strength. My message to all women seafarers is don’t ever give up and think you are less competent to anyone. With persistent and diligent efforts you can make the impossible possible.

How To Quit Sea Life And Settle.

There are several reasons seafarers quit a promising and well-rewarding life at sea. Leaving an active sea career is not an easy decision, yet hundreds of merchant navy officers have dared to trespass this unforgiving territory of shore jobs and have not only conquered them but also remained undefeated in their new endeavors.Only those who lack the courage and conviction attribute others success to luck or fate; but those mariners who did not wait to be Masters or Chief engineers and had full faith in them have hung their sea boots early and secured a long lasting shore career for themselves.Usually there are two types of seafarers at the sea. There is one group of seafarers who is happy to continue at sea and in fact enjoy sailing, and then there is another group of seafarers who want to leave, but are scared to choose the option of settling ashore due to a lot of uncertainties associated with this decision. If you belong to the later group, let me assure you that once you decide to step out of this comfort zone (your sea career), hard work, dedication, and a belief in yourself can take you on a path of unprecedented success. Living at sea life and settling ashore might be difficult but it’s not impossible for sure!For those who are planning to have a more settled life at shore, it’s not unusual to have these questions from time to time whenever they decide to quit sea:
1. Do I have the necessary capital to start a business?
2. What kind of a business or profession should I pursue after quitting sea?
3. Will I ever be able to resume my sea career again if I stay away from sea life for too long?
4. What happens if my sailing license expires?
5. What would I do if I don’t like my new career?
6. Can I survive in the cut-throat world of business/other shore profession?
7. A lot many seafarers have quit sea, lost money, and returned to their sea careers, what if I am one of them?
The basic hurdles must be crossed and answers must be sought to make the decision to quit sea as easy as possible. It is also important to lay to rest the feeling of insecurity of your family members who have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle.
I will try to answer some of the common queries seafarer and hope it will help reduce some anxiety and lessen the burden of wasteful thoughts in your head while you plan to settle ashore.

How To Be An Effective Chief Officer On Board Ships?

Each rank onboard ship from Master to Steward has its own importance, defined functions, and responsibilities. The rank of Chief Officer, First Mate or the First watch-keeping officer, acquires a pivotal role being responsible for Cargo operations , which is main commercial interest, along with which maintenance of deck and accommodation areas further enhances his interaction with different ship departments, operational and management staff onboard and ashore.
The chief officer has to be a good judge to utilise human resources available for jobs at his disposal by means of communication, team spirit and maintain high levels of safetywhile executing them. At the same time being too authoritative or domineering while doing so places him on the negative side thereby creating a tense work atmosphere onboard.

The chief officer has to be a good judge to utilise human resources available for jobs at his disposal by means of communication, team spirit and maintain high levels of safety while executing them. At the same time being too authoritative or domineering while doing so places him on the negative side thereby creating a tense work atmosphere onboard.

At such a stage, inter-personal skills have an undulating influence over his expertise and professional skills. To acquire and maintain the balance is what experience teaches to chief mates.

To elaborate above few incidents, we have highlighted how a Chief Officer has to create a critical balance, where being second-in-command he needs to have requisite levels of authority over crew members and be a quick, firm decision maker but at the same time actively involves him to be a master in inter-personal skills owing to direct work related interaction with them.

Case 1: It was few hours before lunch onboard a vessel bound for Singapore while she was transiting South China Sea. The Second Engineer and Master went for Inspection of cargo tank onboard a VLCC as she was due for dry docking. The gas pocket below a frame burst open and before they could realise or react, both fell unconscious. The Chief officer upon realising that two management level officers are down took charge and the team which had been very well trained acted, rescued and saved lives of both the officers which otherwise could have led to a disaster. Ability to take initiative, calmness, strength of mind and quick decisive powers enable a chief mate to act as second-in-command.

A Chief Officer’s rank involves handling a plethora of jobs related to routine tasks as well as breakdowns. He is also responsible for implementation of safety practices and safe working procedures onboard. He’s omnipresent onboard with a vast and diverse work area and job profile. His job profile takes him from varying locations onboard such as in a cargo or ballast tank, bilge keels, double bottoms , behind the funnel, near the windlass, on the steering flat, inside the rope locker, beneath the galley stores, conference rooms, ship’s office and even on the masts !

Case 2: In an another incident, a Chief officer went to the Bosun, pointed his finger at him and ordered – “Bosun ! Hand over the hose to me. I need it !” The Bosun instead of handing over the hose chased the Chief Mate around the ship and threatened him of dire consequences. Later on investigation revealed that the Bosun and chief officer were of different nationality and custom. The finger pointing was regarded as an offensive gesture in the culture of Bosun about which the Chief mate wasn’t aware. The management later on decided to organise various inter-cultural trainings which made officers aware of nationality and culture based issues faced onboard. Bosun said later if chief mate’d used the word ‘ Please’ he would have readily handed over the hose to him. The training needs of anger management and temper control were identified for the Bosun after a discussion with the Master. Thus inter-personal skills do play a vital role in establishing an ideal working environment onboard.

Chief officer’s job involves interaction and participation in management team and also he has to deal with a wide range of operational activities which generates his involvement in operational and management aspects to a deeper extent. The deck is the first visible and apparent area of a ship where any visitors, inspectors, owners , operators or other officials visit. It is vital to maintain the main deck and areas of access presentable and clean.

Being a management level officer onboard he takes part in almost all the operations related to deck and galley department, a few in engine department as well . Besides these audits, surveys, inspections also require his active participation being involved in maintenance and related documentation.

Being the Department head of Deck he is also incharge of works assigned to deck personnel, and monitor and enhance work planning with efficiency. Every day tool box meetings are organised where he interacts and gets along with deck crew members. The discussions of these meeting vary from on job discussions, both routine and non-routine. The crew members can discuss other issues which they face onboard or in their life both onboard and ashore. Such meeting is a very important tool identified across global shipping industry to recognise the potential of team members and help them to come up with suggestions to improve and enhance professional skills. Besides professional relations a Chief officer does maintain good personal relations with his counterparts and colleagues.

On the contrary in another incident the Chief Officer achieved zero loss time injuries during six consecutive contracts as he was also an able leader and safety mentor for his team. The Company recognised his efforts and Crew as well as Masters opted and longed to work with him.

Case 3: Few years back, a chief officer was hit by some of the crew members. The crew members were having a small get- together party in the crew smoke room where it became too loud with the celebration mood. The chief officer attempted to restore the order and shouted at one of the crew members . In rage he hit the Chief officer who lost his front teeth due to the impact. This incident raised widespread concern across the marine industry regarding handling of disciplinary matters.

Ship Master and chief officer are responsible to maintain the discipline onboard and at the same time ensuring that crew members aren’t offended and a cordial and healthy work relationship is maintained as well.

The chief officer acts as a vital link between the operational and management staff onboard. Being an active member of the management team onboard and controlling various operations on deck, he experiences frequent role shifts. Following one liners would definitely add to value while a mate plans and executes various shipboard tasks

• Plan, discuss, re-plan and then act on any major jobs with management and operational staff
• Clear all your doubts before they start turning up into a mistake
• Check your stores well in advance before planning overhauling, exhaustive maintenance
• The best technical team onboard is available in the Engine Room
• Appreciate, listen to and encourage team members and subordinates
• Understand and access potential and calibre of each member of your team
• Always plan work rest schedule considering some extra couple of hours for any emergency
• It’s always wise to have a good inventory of stores prior ordering next
• Prior arrival ports it is wise to plan service, repairs or rescheduling considering facilities available, duration of port stay and port rotation and above all these Safety and Emergency preparedness is a priority
• Do not hesitate from giving feedbacks or returning substandard stores
• A healthy interaction with shore authorities, cargo surveyors and loading masters can save a great deal of time and efforts on both sides
• Never hesitate to prevent any unsafe acts or take more time to inspect and assess risk factors associated with any job directly under your supervision
• Different nationalities have different styles of working and culture , adapting or understanding them improves the overall efficiency of the team

Thus, before a Chief officer gets promoted to his next rank as a Master where his role becomes more of administrative and managerial, his present rank as a First Mate gives him a lot of insights and understanding into operational aspects and cultural differences, difficulties involved, decision making and its impact on shipboard staff and commercial interests .These certainly are handy when his role as a Master is much wider – more of a directional nature and a guide. The rank of chief officer can be highly decisive in laying foundation of a future Master with good leadership skills and decision making abilities.

12 Things a Smart Mariner Would Do Before Joining a Ship

If you are one of those extremely carefree vagabond mariners who live out of a suitcase, then you would not want to read this article. However, if you one of those smart mariners who plan and execute their and their loved ones lives in order to have a safe and secure voyage while at sea, then read on.

Mariners are the ultimate epitome of responsible people. They have the skills and profess to not only take care of themselves while at the sea, but also the lives of their loved ones who are on land.

Let’s be honest about this; it’s extremely tough and stressful to take care of your family while away at the sea; but that is what makes mariners (at least those who care for their family) a smarter breed.

Read on to find out how you can take care of minor yet important things before joining a ship and become one of the smarter people at the sea.

Things that would make you a responsible and smart mariner if you do them before joining a ship

1.       Exchange Contact details with your Family

This is the most basic and essential thing a mariner has to do before joining a ship. Give all your contact details including your ship’s email address and phone number (calling on the later would be expensive but it’s always handy for emergencies) to your loved ones.

Make sure you also give the contact details of the right person from your shipping company so that in case your family fails to contact you in case of emergency, they can always pass on the message through your company.

Also, while filling in your own phone book not only take contact details of your parents and siblings but also of your close relatives. This is helpful in situations wherein you are not able to contact your parents due to some odd reasons.

Contact details you can exchange

• Personal email address

• Ship’s email address (this you will most probably know once you reach the ship)

• Ship’s phone number (For extreme emergency only)

• Your phone number (In case you have activated international roaming or have taken number of the ports your ship visits)

• Crew personnel’s Contact details (Important)

• Also, give any of your colleagues’ email address in case your account is not able to receive emails because of some technical glitch.

Note : Social networking sites are very unreliable to contact your loved ones especially in emergencies, so please don’t depend on them.

2.       Give Bank Account Details to Your Family

Your family back on land will need the financial backing while you are at the sea. If you are a mariner, then you would have an NRE account. Make sure you give all details of your bank account, so that your loved ones can use the money you transfer to the account. To make it easier for them, issue a debit/ ATM card and leave it back at home for your family to use.

Bank account details you must share

• Account details

• Debit/ ATM card

• Chequebook

• Online banking details

Note : Make sure that you sign a few blank cheques which can be used in case some problem arise with your debit card.

To make it easier for your family to keep a track of the amount of money in your bank account, register a mobile number with the bank for “sms alert” services and leave that phone with your family. This would make it easier for them to know how much balance is there in your account and in case there is some unauthorized transaction from your account.

Last but not the least make sure you leave your bank account details in hands of only those people whom you can surely trust.

3.       Photocopy Your Documents

This is one thing that many mariners forget to do.

Photocopy every single official document of yours (From travelling tickets to official job contract), file them together, and keep it at a secure place before going to the ship.

A mariner is always required to carry all the originals and thus the photocopies serve as a great back up in case your originals are misplaced or lost ( Though this should not happen by any means.)

Photocopies would also be beneficial to your family in case of any legal procedures or important paperwork pertaining to you. They are also helpful in case of accidents or other such emergencies.

Note: Make more than 2 sets of photocopies of your original documents. Keep one set with you while travelling,  and keep them in a different bag.

4.       Keep a Small Pocket Diary

This might sound a bit “Old School”, but keeping a pocket diary with all the important details is one of the most recommended practices suggested by the experts. Make sure you note down all the important contact details of your loved ones and company personnel to make sure you are not stuck at times when your mobile phone is not working or you don’t have a charging point to recharge your phone.

5.       Carry an International Credit/ Debit Card

A credit card that can be used in any foreign land is a must have thing for every seafarer. International credit/debit cards not only give you financial backup but are also great help during emergencies. Money (Salary) on ship is managed by the ship’s captain and every ship has limited amount of cash.

The Captain gives only a part of the crew’s salary in the form of cash and the rest of the amount is deposited directly to the bank account. It is because of this constraint the need for international credit/debit card is utmost felt.

6.       Keep a Pair of Clothes and Boiler Suit with You While Boarding the Plane

Aircrafts manage a lot of luggage every day. Cases of luggage lost or misplaced is common in airlines. To avoid a situation wherein you are left paralysed because of unavailability of your belongings, carry a pair of clothes and a boiler suit in a separate bag which you will take along in the plane. This would be helpful to carry on with your work as soon as you reach the ship, until your luggage comes.

Note : Makes sure all your original documents and important papers are with you in your handbag which you would carry along.

7.       Verify Your Ship Job Contract

Check all the documents provided by your company for joining the ship to avoid any discrepancy abroad.

As much important it is to read your contract thoroughly before you sign it, equally important it is to check all the travelling documents before commencing your journey.

8.       Carry Some Cash

Not all shipping companies give advance money to the crew for travelling and thus it is necessary to carry some cash (approximately $200) for emergency use. Some countries charge for transit (Generally it is free for 72 hours; however they charge after that) and thus carrying cash would be handy in case you miss a flight.

Cash is also necessary to buy some food, coffee, or make phone calls if required. 200 USD is a minimum amount one should always carry; however it is noted that travelling expenses are always greater than expected and thus one should plan the travel finance properly.

9.       Pre-Familiarize Yourself with Local Conditions and Laws

Different countries have different laws and it is imperative to follow them. For e.g. Pirated movie DVDs are not allowed at Singapore airport or adult movies or pictures are not allowed in Gulf countries. These are just a few of the several lesser known laws of countries around the world.

Thus make sure you enquire about such laws of the country you are visiting to avoid any kind of trouble on foreign land.

10.   Get yourself a health insurance and Necessary Vaccination

Personal health insurance is a must while travelling in international waters. In case of a mishap, the shipping company might not cover all the costs if the fault was yours. To make sure no obstacle come in the way of your medical procedures, you must have an up-to-date health insurance.

Also in case you are under some medication, get the necessary vaccination before boarding the ship. If you have to carry medicines, get the necessary prescriptions along with the medicine as several countries do not allow you to carry them without perceptions.

If you have spectacles, make sure you carry an extra pair of the same with you while travelling. Keep both the pair in different bags to be on the safer side if you lose one.

Also, make sure you have proper insurance of your family members and belongings.

11.   Keep Valuables at Home

Keep all the things that you would hate to lose at home. There are high chances of losing valuable things while travelling or on the ship. Things you should leave at home:

• Expensive gifts given by loved ones

• Any form of jewellery

• Expensive accessories

• Social Security card, library card, club membership cards etc.

• All the extra credit and debit cards

12.   Travel Light

Last but not the least – travel as light as possible. You are not going for holidays not for any kind of pleasure trip. You are going purely for work and carry your luggage accordingly. No need to carry extra baggage comprising of things which would not be useful at all.

So do you perform the above mentioned tasks before leaving for your new ship? Or do you do things differently in your own way, which makes you one of the smarter breed of mariners?

Let us know what is it that you do not forget to do before getting on the plane for your new ship.

A Woman Chief Engineer from Brazil Describes Her Interesting Life

Juliana works as a chief engineer on an oil tanker. Mother to a 13 year old girl, Juliana lives with her family in Vitoria, Brazil. She is one of the very few women chief engineer and enjoys every moment of her professional life. Juliana wants to motivate girls around the world to come forward and explore the numerous opportunities that Marine Industry provides.

Men have been dominating the Maritime Industry for quite some time now. Life on ship is no bed of roses and no one knows it better than a mariner. Climbing up the hierarchy level on ship is no child play. It’s requires guts along with steady mental and physical strength. Being a Chief Engineer of a ship is a big deal; being a Female Chief Engineer is even a bigger one!

Merchant Navy Zone brings to you the story of a Female Chief Engineer from Brazil. The Few, the Proud!

Juliana is a 28 year old Female Chief Engineer, who works in an oil tanker in Brazil. She is one of the handful female chief engineers in the Country. The environment of an oil tanker is a tough one to work in and Juliana is one of the toughest chief engineers the company has. Her ship supplies fuel to other ships coming to the port and her job requires her to be on toes all the time.

Unlike most chief engineers, who avoid getting dirt on their hands, Juliana loves to put her hands in grease. She changes oil, filters of marine engines and attends all routine performance and maintenance needs. According to Juliana, her job is not something that other women cannot do. Though the work on ship requires considerable amount of physical strength, a trained women officer can easily handle it. When asked the same question to Juliana, she said, “I think many things should be done not with force but with intelligence. Many men think that women do not have the capacity, but it is up to the women to prove these men wrong. And it is very much possible if there is enough dedication”.

Juliana wants women to explore several great opportunities that the shipping industry provides. She has been sailing as a chief engineer for last 2 years and she loves every bit of her job. She has sailed for as long as 45 days continuously from Brazil to China and she is very happy with the career choice she has made. To live this interesting live, she gets full support from her family. Her work involves constant traveling to new places, during which, she has made many new friends and visited several interesting places. Just like other mariners, she also has had her share of experiences. She often feels homesick, goes through professional politics, and misses her loved ones. But at the end of the day, she loves the satisfaction she gets of doing something adventurous and unique.

Juliana lives in Vitoria, Brazil with her family. Today, she is a mother to a beautiful 13 year old girl and balances her professional and personal life extremely well; of course with a little help from her family. According to her, a woman in the maritime industry lives several lives simultaneously. She has to play the role of a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, a boss, and finally a warrior! Something not everyone can do!

Using the platform of Merchant Navy Zone, Juliana wants to inform all the women out there in the world that they have immense potential to seek a respectable position in the maritime field. She feels that it is important for women to believe in themselves and look for unique career opportunities in the marine industry.

Disclaimer: The views mentioned above are of the author only. 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.

How to Cope With Emergencies at Home While You Are Sailing?

My father passed away while I was sailing. It has been almost half a decade, but I still remember that dreadful email from my brother. I was just about to proceed to the bridge for my watch when I read it. It was just a two line email in which he said that Father had passed away and he was flying back (he lives in the US) immediately. He said that the end was peaceful and asked me to be strong. Needless to say, I was devastated. We were in the South China Sea, en route Geoje SBM for discharging. The port was still a good nine days off. The world had come to a grinding halt. Although his health was failing for a while before his death, nobody had prepared us for the inevitable. The initial feeling of sorrow was soon overcome by an intense feeling of frustration at being so helpless. What could one do from such a distance? Make innumerable phone calls? Write unrelenting emails? Much of it seems pointless. Your continuous phone calls are only going to make things more difficult for the family back home. The reassurance of your physical presence simply cannot be substituted by a phone call.

So what does one do when such an unfortunate event occurs in your life? I wish nobody has to ever go through the ordeal that I went through. But alas, we all know that at its best, life is completely unpredictable.

Image Credits: itfglobal.org

Considering the life we seafarers live, here is a list of the things I have made which will help you cope up with an emergency back home.

1. Face the Reality: Obviously, this is easier said than done. But the sooner you come to terms with the loss, the sooner will you be able to think clearly. In times of such agony, it is very easy to see everyone as your enemy. But then life at sea is different from life ashore. Ashore, it would have been a matter of hours before you got on the first flight back home. Unfortunately at sea, such luxury is impossible. Unless you are the company’s CEOs son, nobody is going to arrange for the ship to be diverted from the middle of the ocean or evacuate you using by a helicopter. Such diversions are done only in Medical Emergencies.

2. Talk to the Master: Once you have come to terms with the occurrence, your first action should be to talk to the Master. Do not take matters in your own hands by calling the company’s personnel department asking for a sign off on compassionate grounds. Leave this to the Master. He will do it in his professional capacity. No Master is so heartless that he will try and scuttle your repatriation in such circumstances. Although in today’s age, personnel onboard calling up the shore office directly is not unheard of, the Master’s word still carries a lot of weight. Put your trust in him. Even if the office can’t arrange for your reliever, the Master can decide to still sign you off and sail shorthand for a short duration after getting appropriate dispensations.

3. Decide about Continuing Onboard Work: It is extremely important for you to decide whether you are still mentally capable of continuing working. Being in charge of the navigational watch or working in the Engine Room when you are not yet fully focussed can be very dangerous. We all have heard about the human element in accidents onboard. It is very important that you have an honest discussion about this with your Head of Department or the Master. Nobody can force you to work. Also, while you might think that by continuing work you are avoiding hassles to other seafarers, it must be borne in mind that a minor loss of focus or a momentary lapse of reason could prove far more disruptive to others than your leave of absence. If you are in a senior management role, it would be wise to delegate your duties to your first substitute. This will ensure that work onboard is not hampered and key decisions are taken correctly and in a time bound manner.

4. Talk to Your Colleagues Onboard: Communicate with your colleagues onboard openly. After I lost my father, I was often asked how difficult it was for me to continue to remain onboard on the ship where there were no fellow countrymen to talk to. (I was then working on a French flagged vessel where I was the only Indian). But to me, it didn’t really matter whether he was my compatriot or not. Nobody understands a seafarer better than a fellow sailor. Everyone onboard could empathize with similar occurrences in their lives when they were onboard. Sharing their experiences made me feel a lot better knowing that I was not the only one who had to go through the ordeal.

5. Call your Family and Reassure them:Remember that your immediate family members will themselves be going through a tough time. Instead of calling up and telling them that the world is conspiring against your repatriation, tell them that everyone is doing their best to help get you back home. Complaining about how difficult it is for you to stay back onboard is only going to compound their grief. Many times, helping other overcome their sorrow can help you overcome your own.

6. Do Not Take to the Bottle: During such times, it might seem that the easiest way to overcome grief is to get drunk. However, it should be borne in mind that alcohol will only have a temporary effect and would in fact prove to be counterproductive in the long run. It will even affect your work and cloud your judgement. This puts safety on the backseat. Likewise, smoking cigarettes will only have a temporary effect to calm you down and will end up causing more harm than good.

7. Get Busy: I once had a cadet who complained that I was giving him too much work. I was in fact giving him the bare minimum to ensure he had enough time to complete his assignments and projects. Instead of taking him to task, I decided to teach him a lesson he’d remember throughout his life. I stopped giving him any work at all and told him that he was on a holiday until I deemed it appropriate. He seemed happy the first day, but on the second he came up on the bridge during my watch and requested me to give him work. The worst thing onboard is “no work”. Without anything to do, the mind begins to wander and is filled with unnecessary thoughts. But a busy person has no such problems. He will use his spare time sparingly and in a constructive manner to rest and recuperate.

8. Learn to Live with the Memories: “Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” This quote from the famous writer Haruki Murakami cannot be better explained than in such a situation. Once you come to terms with the loss, it will be very important for you to decide on how to deal with the memories. Knowing that your loved one will no longer be there home to welcome you on your return from your sea tenure can be gut-wrenching. But not letting this upset you is something you will have to certainly work upon. Giving away something for charity in your loved ones name can have a profound positive effect and help you deal with the memories better.

9. Give it Time: Time as they say, is the best healer. Nothing in this world is going to substitute the loss of your loved one. But with time, the grief will lessen and you will be able to come to terms with reality. Keep your trust in yourself. Eventually, you will get used to a life without the loved one you’ve just lost (Of course, this doesn’t mean you will forget him or her).

10. Sign Off: Now this might sound like an unnecessary and obvious advice but there is reason why I’m saying this. We seafarers live by sea-time. We are always after sea time, be it for examination purpose or to clock enough to get an Endorsement or to gain enough experience for promotion. After a few days have elapsed after the unfortunate incident, it might feel unnecessary to sign off now that the final rites and funeral is over. Perhaps you might be just a couple of weeks short of completing your sea-time. But nothing is more important than being with your family at this point of time. The promotion or the examination can always be taken at a later stage in life. But there will be this only one time when you could have been with your family in their moment of grief. Do not miss it.

It is but natural for you to think that your journey through life will no longer be the same without your dear departed. But do not let it cripple your ambitions and goals. Instead, make it your life’s mission to live up to their expectation and fulfill the dreams they had for you. There is no better way in honoring the dear departed than by knowing that they would have been proud of what you are today.

Over to you..

How have you handled the news of an unfortunate event that has occurred back home while you were sailing?

Let’s know in the comments below.