A Career in Shipping - Afloat
It is a career that will involve travel, which perhaps goes without saying, and is very different from most 9-5 jobs, as ships operate around the clock, 365 days a year. There is early responsibility, and qualifications that are internationally acceptable, as shipping is a global industry. The sea has been described as "a magic carpet", and the operation of ships upon the sea an essential job, effectively making world trade happen.
A ship's officer will begin as a cadet, typically with a three year training in which periods at sea will alternate with time in college. The cadetship will usually be sponsored by a shipping company, and this period will be spent accumulating both the knowledge and experience necessary to pass statutory examinations, when on board ship actually doing the jobs and participating in the ship's operations, initially under instruction, but eventually becoming part of the team which operates a modern merchant ship. Depending on the shipping company, sea time will be gained aboard a working merchant vessel, or a cadet ship. Some companies will try and give cadets as broad a range of experience as possible on different types of ship, while others will see the cadet specialise in, say, tankers, container ships, or whatever other units the fleet may comprise.
Most cadets will opt to take the track that will lead to either a deck officer's qualification, or those of an engineer officer, although some under certain flags are able to take combined qualifications and thus keep their options open. A deck officer will have his or her sights on the role of ship's Captain or Master, and will have to become competent in such subjects as navigation, cargo work, ship stability, ships' business, seamanship and meteorology while the Chief Engineer is the ship's senior technical officer.
A marine engineer is different to those ashore, as a ship is on its own when away from the land and a high degree of self-sufficiency and ability to run and maintain a huge variety of machinery will be required. Cruise and other passenger ships will also have specialists in electro-technical engineering and catering officers responsible for the hospitality and hotel services, who will have begun as purser cadets.
In some countries it is possible for cadets to pursue a degree course in parallel with their statutory qualifications, which are prescribed by international convention. To follow a degree course it will normally be necessary to have qualifications for university entry. A degree course will give the ship's officer that extra dimension, should he or she wish to switch into shore employment at a later stage.
Following the cadetship and success in the exams, a cadet will become a junior officer, and will be qualified to take sole charge of the ship as a watchkeeper. Then it is a matter of gaining additional experience as one works through the ranks, and passing further examinations, en route to the Master's or Chief Engineer's post.
Source: www.bimco.dk
|
