1. Careers in international merchant shipping
Standard presentation from the
NOVA MARITIME ACADEMY

2. Have you ever thought about a career at sea...
… training to be an officer on board a cargo or passenger ship in the international merchant shipping industry?

3. Scope of presentation What is the merchant shipping industry?
What does a career in shipping have to offer?
What skills and qualifications are required?

4. The shipping industry Transports 90% of world trade
Safest and most environmentally friendly form of commercial transport
50,000 ships trading internationally

5. Big business
High value assets - new ships can cost over $100 million each
Freight rates generate $200 billion dollars for world economy

6. Global industry Ships may be owned in one country
Managed from a second
Registered in a third country
Crewed by seafarers from one or more others

7. The world’s seafarers
Multinational crews common, but working language English
1.25 million seafarers employed worldwide
Most senior officers from OECD countries
Most ratings (plus growing number of officers) from developing countries

8. A regulated industry
Regulated by United Nations - International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Ships officers, regardless of country, are trained to common global standards
Over 30 international conventions governing high maritime employment standards (safety, wages, accommodation etc.)

9. Types of ship
Container ships
which carry most of the world's manufactured goods and products

10. Types of ship which transport raw materials such as iron ore and coal
Dry bulk carriers
which transport raw materials such as iron ore and coal

11. Tankers transporting crude oil, chemicals, and petroleum products
Types of ship
Tankers
transporting crude oil, chemicals, and petroleum products

12. Types of ship
Cruise ships
and international passenger ferries

13. Types of ship Specialist ships
e.g. heavy lift vessels and support vessels for the offshore oil industry

14. Careers at sea Different specialties but work always varied e.g:
Navigation and engineering skills using latest technology
Leadership and management skills to ensure safety and well being of a community living and working at sea

15. Career progression
Following progression to senior grades - including, eventually, shore based management - commercial skills are gained
Movement of majority of world’s goods and raw materials is major corporate business

16. Reasons to go to sea
Good wages

17. Good wages Generous compared to shore
In Europe, 22 year old junior officer's salary similar to 30 year old university graduate
In developing world, seafarers are amongst very highest paid

18. Good wages...
Save money when young (travel, food and accommodation paid for)
Often tax free
Officers can expect rapid promotion to become highly paid captains and chief engineers (commonly in less than 10 years)

19. Reasons to go to sea
Early responsibility

20. Early responsibility
Officers have much responsibility from start of their careers: for safety of their ship, lives of their ship mates and protection of the environment
Trainees can expect to qualify as deck or engine officers in 3 to 4 years (thorough combination of shore based college and training at sea)

21. Early responsibility...
Young officers, reporting to senior officers, responsible for supervising ratings (often recruited from developing countries)
Deck officers (during watch periods) responsible for safe navigation of entire ship
Engine officers (during watch periods) responsible for enormous industrial machinery on which safety of ship depends

22. Good long term prospects
Reasons to go to sea
Reasons to go to sea
Good long term prospects

23. Good long term prospects
Global shortage of ship’s officers
Shortage likely to increase in early 21st Century
As world population and economy grow - quantity of goods moved by sea continues to increase

24. Good long term prospects...
Pause in officer recruitment in number of countries some years ago. Many senior personnel are due to retire
Therefore excellent prospects of fast advancement for young people
Opportunities extend to shore based management jobs which require seagoing experience
Career at sea does not mean lifetime at sea

25. Doing something useful
Reasons to go to sea
Reasons to go to sea
Doing something useful

26. Doing something useful
Ships are lynchpin of global economy
Without ships world economy would collapse, raw materials, goods and food could not be transported
Shipping is also the safest and most environmentally friendly form of transport

27. Opportunities to travel
Reasons to go to sea
Opportunities to travel

28. Opportunities to travel (anywhere)
You can travel to almost any country in the world - with the interest and experience this brings
Many ships trade “anywhere” - not just the normal business and holiday destinations

29. Opportunities to travel...
Many seafarers progress to shore based work in shipping offices all around the world - from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, to Tokyo or London - during the course of their careers
A career in shipping means joining an international network of contacts and associates

30. Career flexibility and security
Reasons to go to sea
Career flexibility and security

31. Career flexibility and security
Ideal for young people seeking “something different” but who may want traditional career in the future
In 21st Century, work is increasingly uncertain, but shipping combines security of employment with flexibility and opportunity
Internationally recognised qualifications agreed by the United Nations

32. Career flexibility and security...
Officers can work for the thousands of shipping companies located around the world
Others use their qualifications and experience to work ashore in the the many professional jobs that exist to service shipping

33. Career flexibility and security...
Other jobs after a career at sea include: shipping company management marine surveying maritime law and insurance working as broker finding cargoes for ships - or even buying and selling ships
Skills and experience from sea are also readily transferable to other industries

34. Reasons to go to sea
Long holidays

35. Long holidays
In most shore based jobs annual holidays are only a few weeks each year (far less than at school or college)
Seafarers generally enjoy generous leave periods (flights to and from the ship paid for as an international legal requirement)

36. Long holidays...
On “short sea” trades, one month working followed by one month at holiday is common
On intercontinental or “deep sea” trades, leave periods of several months duration are not uncommon
Seafarers can enjoy other interests at home and have extended time with their families

37. Something different to working in an office
Reasons to go to sea
Reasons to go to sea
Reasons to go to sea
Something different to working in an office

38. Doing something different
A ship is a unique environment - home to the people on aboard
Special profession - outside the experience of people working ashore
Merchant seafaring is a civilian occupation -team work is the important requirement rather than military discipline

39. Doing something different ...
Many opportunities for socialising - on board, and during visits to foreign ports
Very cosmopolitan with many different nationalities working together
Joining the industry is like belonging to a special international club

40. Qualifications and entry requirements

41. Entry requirements
Education and training differs from country to country
But international competence requirements are determined by the United Nations
Education and training for officers normally begins at 18 (though in some countries opportunities exist for graduates with unrelated degrees)

42. Entry requirements...
Entry requirements normally equivalent to A-Level, baccalaureate, or senior high school standard (qualifications achieved beyond the age of 16)
Ability in maths and science usually required (especially physics for engineers)
But not to advanced level - these subjects are normally covered by maritime education
Education and training leading to careers as ships’ officers differs from country to country.
But international competence requirements are determined by the United Nations.
Education and training for officers normally begins at 18 (though in some countries opportunities exist for graduates with unrelated degrees)

43. Entry requirements...
In some countries students may study for a maritime degree at a specialist maritime institute, or a maritime faculty at a university.
In other countries students may study for national technical qualifications or there may be a choice of studying for either a degree or an alternative technical qualification

44. Entry requirements...
Officers working internationally must meet competence standards required by the International Maritime Organization, and be issued with “STCW” certificates for the deck or engine department
Usually a year or more of on board training at sea
Most newly qualified officers have had years training, including sea time

45. Interested? What to do next?
Get in touch with your national maritime careers contacts:

46. NMA NOVA MARITIME ACADEMY Nova compus Vaiyappamalai, Thiruchengode Road, Namakkal District Tamil Nadu INDIA TEL: FAX: Web: Administative Office # 29/57-A, Kamaraj Nagar, Pattanam Road,Rasipuram,Namakkal District Tamil Nadu INDIA HP

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