An interview with Dr. P. Vijayan, Director

An interview with Dr. P. Vijayan, Director, Tamil Nadu Institute Industrial Engineering which runs Centre for Maritime Studies in Chennai.

How popular is the merchant navy as a career option?

At present especially in South India not many people are aware of this field and are not opting for it as a career. This is mainly because they are ignorant about this field of work, which is in fact very rewarding. As a result of this there is a shortage of manpower in this area. You find a lot of north Indians working in this field but due to the lack of awareness people from the south have stayed away. In order to create an awareness about the merchant navy and all the job opportunities it provides the Tamil Nadu government has established this Centre for Maritime studies were we conduct several courses for those who wish to gain employment in this field. Apart from government institutes there are also many private colleges and institutions, which are now offering various diploma and degree courses in this field of work.

People employed in this area work continuously for a particular period of time of the year, how are they compensated?

Those employed on the ship work for six months of the year. They complete their assignment till the cargo reaches the final destination and return. There are different kinds of cargo ships on which they can be employed. People working in high-risk vessels like which carry acid, chemicals and toxins are paid more than those working on soft cargo ships, because of the hazardous nature of the job. On an average a merchant marine can earn anywhere from Rs. 45,000 to Rs. 1.5 lakhs per month. Apart from this they are also given allied facilities like health insurance, settlements in case of accidents or deaths, concessions on food and drink etc. You get six months holidays per year, in fact, for every day you work you get 1 day paid holiday. The highest position a seafarer can reach is a chief engineer while on the nautical side they can also become Captains. At the peak of his career a seafarer gets Rs. 8 lakhs and a chief engineer gets Rs. 15 lakhs per month. However the payment package differs from company to company. I would like emphasise that the Shipping Corporation of India, which is a Government of India organisation pays on par with any of the private companies. Only difference is that workers on foreign ships are treated like NRIs and their salary is not taxable, while the salaries of workers on Indian ship is taxed.

Maritime workers have to leave behind their families during the voyages, don't they complain about this separation?

Initially families could not accompany the sailors on voyages but now they can. Even so, for how long can they travel? With children and their education to think about, it becomes difficult. This is the greatest drawback in this field of work. How does the working conditions differ from the jobs on land? Weather on the sea is very different from weather on the land. It can become very harsh and climate changes can be extreme. So the years of working are greatly reduced, a sailor can work on ship for a maximum of 15 years and after which his health will deteriorate and he generally retires. So the career of a maritime worker lasts up to the age of 45 and the number of years of work in almost reduced to half when compared to the other offshore jobs.

In that case, how will the retired workers adjust and find other jobs?

They can be hired as consultants by shipping houses, otherwise, they can start their own training institutes, or teach in the various colleges and they can also take port jobs after a refresher course. They can also branch out in to supporting fields like ship care engineering and maintenance.

What are the career opportunities available for women in this area?

In India, due to very demanding working conditions women have stayed away from this field. Now women are slowly foraying in to this field, mainly in the nautical side where the main responsibility is to take care of the communication systems.

Malini Suryanarayanan