Right Foot Forward

        The sea had been attracting the youth who are daring to mix adventure and a rewarding career for long.  There was a change in the trend in the recent past, due to the influence of IT industry.  Now the youth seems to have re-invented the pleasure of adventure at work. The sea offers a three dimensional career opportunity – under water, afloat and above the water.  The remuneration is excellent and job satisfaction is very high, comparing to that of a job ashore.  Information on shipping career avenues, benefits, prospects and life style is limited to those associated with the shipping industry.  We intend to open up the gateway to guide sea service enthusiasts in selecting a career from the Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Navy, Dredging Sector, Coastal shipping, Fishing Sector, Off Shore Service and Commercial Diving.

    

          WHAT WE DO

 

  ·       Free online Career Guidance for Sea Service Enthusiasts.

·        Regular columnist of major shipping periodicals on shipping related subjects.

·        Free Presentation on Sea Service for Plus Two PCM Students, on requisition from School/ College authorities.

email queries to:  support@seaservice.in

 

 Western Region Co-Ordinator of India’s premier maritime education and Training Institute – RL Institute of Nautical Sciences (an off campus centre of BITS, Pilani, Rajastan).

Arranges campus recruitment of Deck and Engine Cadets from RL Institute of Nautical Science, Madurai for Ship Owners and Ship Manning Companies.

 

email enquiries to:  rlins@seaservice.in

EMPLOYMENT SCENARIO IN

MERCHANT NAVY

Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)/ International Shipping Federation (ISF) Manpower Updates are regarded as the most comprehensive assessment on global supply and demand of merchant seafarers.  The strength of seafarers, provided in the BIMCO/ISF Dec 2005 update, was in the order of 4,66,000 Officers and 7,21,000 Ratings as against an estimated demand for 4,76,000 Officers and 5,86,000 Ratings.  The 2.1% (10,000 in number) shortage of officers was estimated to aggravate to 5.9%  (27,000 in number) by the year 2015.  The 18.8% excess supply of Ratings was also estimated to escalate to 21.6%. 

International Maritime Employers Committee (IMEC) is an employers organisation based in London, representing over 100 companies located all over the world that operate over 5,500 ships and employ over 1,45,000 seafarers of all nationalities.  With the information on officer shortage, the IMEC General Assembly established an Officer Recruitment and Training Working Group (the Group) in November 2006 to investigate the problem. The findings of the Group revealed in the month of September 2007, states that the worldwide officer shortage is much worse than the 2.1% indicated in BIMCO/ISF study. 

The group observed that the Cadet intake has increased to one trainee for every 6.6 officer or say 15% of total officer strength.  Whereas, slump in retention rates, abstinence of qualified officers from taking up vacant positions, aging profile of senior officers, reduction in the time worked by officers etc. are stated as contributing factors for the escalation in shortage.

The IMEC members are now searching for seafarers from Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey etc. In the course of their search for seafarers, the two most commonly reported shortfall were (a) poor training standards, including low standards of tertiary education, poor quality lecturers and old training equipment, and (b) problems with proficiency in English language.  The Philippines was by far the most frequently criticized country for poor training standards, and Russia and other East European countries in English proficiency.  The group has assessed that so far as India is concerned, these problems did not exist and Indian Officers have the highest retention rate, at 90%, within IMEC Members. 

Statistics given in Lloyd Register’s Shipping Facts Jan 2005 issue indicates that, as on 01 Jan 2005 there were about 46,222 commercial transport vessels around the world.  41% of the world fleet is registered with the six major open registry countries (Panama, Liberia, Bahamas, Malta, Cyprus and Bermuda).  During the past decade, the number of commercial fleet has increased by an average 1% per annum. The ship building yards are flooded with orders for work beyond 2010, indicating a further increase in the trading fleet size.  In order to alleviate the officer shortage, major maritime nations have requested IMO to introduce a statute to create one compulsory training berth on each ship for the mandatory sea training of cadets. Owners of ships registered with open registry countries are feeling the pinch of officer shortage and have realised their afloat training responsibility. More and more afloat training billets are now opening up.

Employability of Indian seafarers has never been so good.  Financially the profession is highly rewarding. Those who have chosen this career and have wisely invested their savings have settled down comfortably in life.

Editor

email:  editor@seaservice.in