Our country India shares its boundaries with the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean. The two geographical factors that put the Indian maritime sector at an advantageous position are the vast coastline of 7,500 km and the strategic location having the major shipping highways. From the very ancient time, the oceans and seas are the major conduits for international trade and energy. The potentiality of the maritime sector of India attracts big investors too. As per the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the maritime sector could become, “the engine of growth” for India. After reading this much you must be thinking that why I am writing about geography, trade and commerce while this topic is based on ‘maritime engineering’? Just think for a while, when a sector has always remained an important part of our nation which is providing and will also provide an ocean of opportunities in future then a career related to this sector would be so fascinating!! Our country needs highly developed marine vehicles for ocean border security, export and import, travel and tourism and here comes the role of marine engineers.
What is Marine Engineering?
It is a branch of engineering that deals with architecture and science. This subject also trains to conduct researches in the oceans, coastal regions or inland waters connected to the sea. A marine engineer is responsible for the ship’s technical management and required to overlook, find problems, and conduct technological servicing of the systems in the ship. A course in marine engineering is a combination of mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics engineering. Same time, naval architecture is an important area of study for a marine engineer. Some of the specialisations of marine engineering are as follows-
1- Naval architect
2- Mechanical engineering
3- Oceanographic engineering
4- Offshore engineering
This career provides fun, adventure and overflowing bank balance also this career is very tough and challenging. So, to study marine engineering you must have the skills like patience, flexibility or ability to adjust in changing environment, strong willpower, Strong in solving problems, excellence in Mathematics, expertise in IT, strong communication skill, leadership and team management ability, Computer-aided design, and Computer-aided manufacturing), budget management skills.
Marine Engineering career scope in India
This sector is said as the “engine of growth” for India. A marine engineer can work both in onshore and offshore. The latter is quite demanding as it requires to stay away from the land for months. You can also work as a government servant in Naval services. Aspirants can also get opportunities to work in marine metals and corrosion, renewable energy, remote sensing, offshore oil recovery, underwater vehicles and marine transportation. So, the career opportunity in this field is immense in private, corporate, governmental and also in educational sectors.
At the beginning, a trainee engineer can expect the salary around 30,000 to 40,000 per month. As the experience and knowledge grows the salary also become very lucrative along with the promotions. In this sector the offshore engineers even get the status of an NRI.
Top colleges in India for marine engineering
A student who wants to pursue the career in marine engineering will have to qualify the IMU entrance test conducted by Indian Maritime University for admissions various programmes offered by IMU campuses and its affiliated institutes. Some autonomous colleges and different states conduct their own CET for admission into the engineering. Following are some of the top marine engineering colleges in India-
1- Indian Maritime University (Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai Port, Navi Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam)
2- Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education and training, Pune
3- Vells academy of Maritime studies Chennai.
4- Tolani Institute of marine engineering.
5- Chennai school of Ship Management.
6- Marine engineering and research institute, MERI Kolkata
7- MERI Mumbai
8- MSEC Tamilnadu.
9- College of Engineering Andhra University.
10- C V Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar
11- Coimbatore Marine College, Coimbatore
12- Euro Tech Maritime Academy, Cochin
13- International Maritime Institute, New Delhi
14- RL Institute of Nautical Sciences, Madurai
15- Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, Mumbai
Marine engineering is one of the highest paid as well as the toughest jobs. It requires great physical toughness, mental soundness, and emotional intelligence. Marine engineering gives a great opportunity to explore the world and travel on the great ships.
