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Three quarters of the earths surface is surrounded by water and for that reason itself Marine engineering is a very exciting and challenging field for those who are passionate about sea and are fond of working with tools. Even though waterways are comparatively used less for traveling, above 80% of the goods transportation happens through sea. For international export and import of freights, countries mainly depend on ships and other water vessels. Marine Engineering is the most basic profession as far as ships and navigation is concerned.

Marine engineering is a branch of Engineering that deals with nautical architecture and science. The term 'Marine Engineering' is meant for research conducted in oceans and coastal or inland waters connected to the sea. Marine Engineering courses deal with construction and maintenance of ships and other sailing vessels.

Marine Engineers have the complete responsibility of the ship's technical management. They are responsible for selecting the ships' machinery, which may include diesel engines, steam turbines, gas turbines; and for the design of mechanical, electrical, fluid and control systems throughout the vessel. They are the members of a ship's crew who are in charge for managing a team of marine technicians and craftspeople. The construction, operations and maintenance of the engine room are the main duties of a Marine engineer.

A four year BE in Marine Engineering is the basic educational qualification required to become a Marine engineer. This is a career that offers vast job opportunities including off-shore jobs and the most attractive part is its huge remuneration and NRI status. Many Indian and foreign institutes offer courses in Marine Engineering. Immense job opportunities are awaiting Marine engineers and they have nearly 100% placement rates. The demand for Marine Engineers in public and private shipping companies has risen sharply, with the increase in international global sea traffic.

Eligibility

BE in Marine Engineering / Nautical Science and PG Diploma in Mechanical Engineering are the basic qualifications to become a Marine Engineer. The minimum educational qualifications for pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering or Nautical science is plus two or equivalent with high percentage of marks in science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. These courses are of 4 years duration. Chennai School of Ship Management offer Alternate Training Scheme (ATS) of three years to become a Marine Engineer.

Good health is required to be a good Marine Engineer. Physical fitness is a must and there are certain medical norms that need to be met to get entry into the Marine Engineering courses. The minimum height should be 150cms with correlated weight and proportionate chest with minimum 5-cm expansion. He should also pass a medical fitness test for sea service under standard norms and with eyesight 6/6 with no colour blindness.

Those who have BE in Marine engineering and a passion for academics can pursue post graduation (i.e ME in Marine engineering) which is of two years duration and Ph.D. Educational qualification for M.E and Ph.D, is BE in Marine Engineering and ME in Engineering respectively. Many institutes in India and abroad offer these courses.

Personal skill:

In order to become a Marine engineer, a person should possess some essential personal attributes. Good English language proficiency and physical fitness is a must. They should have excellent technical knowledge, math and IT skills. A marine engineer should have organising quality, team spirit and practical thinking and common sense. He should possess an aptitude to be calm under pressure and should know how to manage the situation. They should have an awareness of health and safety procedures. Moreover he should enjoy sea travel and should be dedicated to his job.

Job Prospects & Career Options

Marine Engineers are also employed in the areas of designing, research and consultancy. They have opportunities in designing and building firms and even in the teaching or training profession. They can also opt for any job that a mechanical or electrical engineering graduate hunt for.

Marine Engineers have lucrative career options abroad also. An internationally recognized organization, recruits freshers and trainees with almost no experience. The bureau deals with developing rules based on principles of naval architecture, marine engineering and related subjects. Other countries like France and U.K also recruit young marine engineers.

Remuneration

Marine Engineering is one of the well-paid careers in the field of engineering. At the entry level itself, a Marine engineer receives excellent pay package. A junior engineer can earn around Rs 25,000 – 30,000 per month in Indian ships and around Rs 74,000 in foreign ships. A chief engineer will get up to Rs 1,85,000 per month.

Institutes offering Marine Engineering Courses

Bangalore Institute of Aeronautical Engineering and Information Technology, # 5, SRS Complex, NGEF Layout, 80 Feet Road, Nagarabavi, Bangalore - 560 072

College Of Engineering (Andhra University), Waltair, Visakhapatnam-530003, (Andhra Pradesh)

Directorate General of Shipping, Jahaj Bhavan, Ballard Estate, Walchand Hirachand Marg, Mumbai 400001, (Maharashtra)

IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Powai, Mumbai 400076, (Maharashtra)

Indian Marine College, P.S. No. 1262, Kachiguda Station Road, Hyderabad 500027, (Andhra Pradesh)

International Marine Communication Centre, 134/3 R.H. Road, near Luz Corner, Mylapore, Chennai 600004,

Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies & Research, Hay bunder, Seweri, Mumbai - 400033, (Maharashtra)

Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education and Training(MANET),Gat No. 140, Loni Kalbhor, Rajbaug, Pune-Solapur Highway, Pune-412 201, (Maharashtra)

Marine Engineering & Research Institute, Hay Bunder Road, Mumbai – 400 033, (Maharashtra)

Marine Engineering Research Institute, P-19, Taratolla Rd, Kolkata-700088, (West Bengal)

Mohamed Sathak Engineernig College, Kilakarai - 623 806, Ramanathapuram Dist., Tamil Nadu,