Last updated on August 23rd, 2023 at 10:42 am

If life at sea is something you dream about, becoming a Marine Engineer can be one of the best careers for you. The field has been booming in the current years, with continuous developments and breakthroughs taking place in the industry. The growth in the field of marine engineering has ignited an interest in the minds of people, resulting in many more opting for marine engineering as their major.

The dynamic nature of the shipping industry, with its growing need of ships, is a huge factor that continuously creates a need for more marine engineers. They are key to operating any ship effectively, without suffering any breakdowns in machinery.

Marine engineers join ships through the engine side. They are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the main engine, auxiliary engine, boiler, and generator, along with keeping a check on the proper functioning of the valves, filters, etc.

They are the ones who make it possible for the ship to run like a well-oiled machine. It is one thing to install all this machinery onboard, but to maintain them regularly turns out to be a mammoth task, entrusted to the hands of marine engineers.

Now, let’s learn more about how to become a marine engineer-

How to Become a Marine Engineer?

There are 3 paths to becoming a marine engineer depending upon one’s qualifications-

• Merchant Navy after 12th
• After B tech Mechanical Engineering
• After Diploma in Mechanical Engineering

1. Merchant Navy After 12^th– Btech Marine Engineering

Btech Marine Engineering Eligibility-

Education Qualification	10+2/equivalent (PCM Average – Minimum 60%) [AND] Minimum of 50% marks in English subjects in the 10th [OR] 12th Examination).
Age Criteria	Minimum age: 17years Maximum age: For Male : General-25 years, OBC(NCL)-28 years, SC/ST-30 years For Female: General-27 years, OBC(NCL)-30 years, SC/ST-32 years. The reference date for the calculation of the age will be from the date of commencement of the Academic Session
Relaxations for SC/ST candidates	There will be a 5% relaxation in eligibility marks of PCM; however, it will not apply to English Marks. A relaxation of 5% in English marks will be applicable to candidates who are natives of the Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands and belong to their Scheduled Tribes and & both of whose parents were born in those islands & belong to the Scheduled Tribes of those islands.
Physical Fitness	Candidates seeking admission to this Programme must be medically fit including eyesight and hearing as prescribed in the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2000, as amended.
Eyesight	There shall be no evidence of any morbid condition of either eye or of the lids of either eye which may be liable to risk of aggravation or recurrence. Candidates must possess good binocular vision (Fusion faculty and the full field of vision in both eyes). Movement of the eyeballs must be full in all directions and the pupils should react normally to light and accommodation. Normal color vision shall be tested by Ishihara Test Chart. Distance Vision unaided 0.5(6/12) in each eye or 0.67(6/9) in the better eye and 0.33*(6/18) in the worst eye.

Following are the merchant navy entrance exams you can appear for-

• IMU CET- Indian Maritime University Common Entrance Test
• TMISAT-  Tolani Maritime Institute Science Aptitude Test is the entrance exam for admission to TMI.  

Once you’ve appeared for IMU CET conducted by IMU, you can then join a 4-year marine engineering course. The course is divided into 8 semesters. After completing this course trainees join onboard as junior engineers.

We at Merchant Navy Decoded only suggest the following 2 institutes for Btech Marine Engineering- 

• IMU Kolkata (erstwhile DMET / MERI) 
• Tolani Maritime Institute (TMI)

Further, read in more detail about the course and college information here- Btech Marine Engineering

2. After Completing B tech Mechanical Engineering- Graduate Marine Engineering (GME):

GME Course Eligibility –

Education Qualification	BE/B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering/ Naval Architecture with at least 50% marks in final year from a recognized University/AICTE-approved Institute/IIT. [OR] Full-time BE/BTech in Mechanical Engineering Streams with at least 50% marks in the final year. e.g. Mechanical and Automation, Mechanical and Electronics, Mechanical and Automobile, etc. However, the word “Mechanical” should be the first, indicating that mechanical engineering is the core subject and the second subject is elective. [OR] Candidates who have a degree in any Naval Architecture stream with at least 50% marks in the final year, e.g. Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture, Ship Building, etc. [OR] Candidates who have a degree in Marine Engineering with at least 50% marks in the final year from a Non-DG shipping-approved Marine training institute. [AND] Minimum 50% marks in the English language at 10th [OR] 12th [OR] in Degree Exam.
Age Criteria	On the day training commences you should not be older than 28 years.
Physical Fitness	Candidates seeking admission to this Programme must be medically fit including eyesight and hearing as prescribed in the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2000, as amended.
Eyesight	There shall be no evidence of any morbid condition of either eye or of the lids of either eye which may be liable to risk of aggravation or recurrence. Candidates must possess good binocular vision (Fusion faculty and the full field of vision in both eyes). Movement of the eyeballs must be full in all directions and the pupils should react normally to light and accommodation. Normal color vision shall be tested by Ishihara Test Chart. Distance Vision unaided 0.5(6/12) in each eye or 0.67(6/9) in the better eye and 0.33*(6/18) in the worst eye.

We at Merchant Navy Decoded only suggest the following 3 institutes for Graduate Marine Engineering- 

1. Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy (AEMA)- Khandpe, Maharashtra
2. IMS Goa- Bogda, Goa
3. Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies- Pune, Maharashtra

Graduate Marine Engineering (GME) is a 1-year PG diploma course divided into 2 semesters. Students who’ve already cleared their Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, or Naval Architecture can pursue this course to develop a career as a marine engineer.

Entrance Examination: Each college conducts its separate entrance examination. The written exam includes questions on the following subjects- Mechanical Engineering, Aptitude, and English, followed by a Psychometric Test. Upon clearing both exams, candidates have to appear for a panel interview.

After clearing the entrance examination, all candidates have to get a medical fitness certificate from a DG Shipping-approved doctor. Only then can they join their respective colleges.

Read in more detail about the course and college information here- Graduate Marine Engineering

3. Diploma Mechanical Engineering:

After a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, you can become a marine engineer through the following 3 paths-

• Lateral Entry Btech Marine Engineering-

Candidates can directly join into the 2nd year of a 4-year marine engineering course after the completion of a 3-year diploma course in Marine Engineering.

• Diploma Marine Engineering (DME)–

DME eligibility criteria-

Education Qualification	Candidates who have a degree in Diploma in Mechanical/ Electrical/ Electrical & Electronics/ Naval Architecture. with at least 50% marks in the final year. [AND] Minimum 50% marks in the English language at 10th [OR] 12th [OR] in Degree Exam.
Age Criteria	On the day training commences you should not be older than 28 years.
Physical Fitness	Candidates seeking admission to this Programme must be medically fit including eyesight and hearing as prescribed in the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2000, as amended.
Eyesight	There shall be no evidence of any morbid condition of either eye or of the lids of either eye which may be liable to risk of aggravation or recurrence. Candidates must possess good binocular vision (Fusion faculty and the full field of vision in both eyes). Movement of the eyeballs must be full in all directions and the pupils should react normally to light and accommodation. Normal color vision shall be tested by Ishihara Test Chart. Distance Vision unaided 0.5(6/12) in each eye or 0.67(6/9) in the better eye and 0.33*(6/18) in the worst eye.

1. The candidate should have a Diploma in either Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, or Naval Architecture. Additionally, he/she should not be older than 28 years of age.
2. Must possess a minimum of 50% in the final year.
3. He/She should have scored a minimum of 50% marks in English in either the 10th, 12th, Diploma, or Degree course.
4. Unaided vision should be at least 6/12 in both eyes or 6/9 in the good eye, and 6/12 in the other eye.

Diploma in Marine Engineering is a 2-year, pre-sea training program that prepares students to join the ship as marine engineers. A Diploma Engineer is as qualified as a Degree Engineer in the maritime field.

We at Merchant Navy Decoded, only suggest one institute for Diploma in Marine Engineering- 

IMS Goa-

This is the only DG Shipping-approved college that we approve of, to join for a DME course. For a candidate who has completed his/her diploma in either Electrical, Mechanical, Marine, or Electronics Stream, the institute offers a pre-sea training course to become a Marine Engineer. 

The institute has tied up with various training centers in an attempt to provide its students with the best all-around development. Furthermore, the institute also holds a reputation for great placement records along with maintaining good relations with companies.

Read more about DME at IMS Goa here. 

• Lateral Entry Btech after Diploma-

After completing a 3-year Diploma in Marine Engineering, candidates can directly join the 2^nd year of B tech Mechanical Engineering. Subsequently, after completing their B tech Mechanical Engineering Course they can finally opt for the 1-year Graduate Marine Engineering Course.

Among the 3 suggestions, the most suitable plan would be to opt for B tech Mechanical Engineering and then go for the 1-year GME course. Otherwise, doing a Diploma in Marine Engineering from IMS Goa would be another excellent choice for you and is sure to help you smoothly sail into the field of marine engineering. In the current scenario, GME candidates are the most in demand when it comes to job opportunities offered. In any of the following cases always remember to do your research about the placement scenarios of the colleges before joining.

Jobs & Career Path after Marine Engineering-

• After completion of the marine engineering degree or diploma, candidates join the ship as a Trainee Marine Engineer or Fifth Engineer.
• After you complete 6-months onboard, you can appear for your MEO Class 4 Examination.
• Upon clearing the MEO Class 4 exam, you are promoted to the rank of 4th Engineer.
• Once you have earned enough experience, you are then promoted to the rank of 3rd Engineer.
• Once the candidate completes 12 months of experience at the rank of 3rd Engineer/ 4th Engineer, they then become eligible to appear for MEO Class 2 Examination.
• After clearing the exam and gaining enough experience at the rank of 3rd Engineer, you are promoted to the rank of 2nd Engineer.
• After an officer has completed 18 months of experience at the rank of 2nd Engineer, they can then appear for the MEO Class 1 Exam.
• Upon clearing MEO Class 1, and gaining enough experience at the rank of 2nd Engineer, you get promoted to the rank of Chief Engineer (depending upon company policies).

The maritime industry depends heavily upon marine engineers to operate huge vessels ranging from – bulk carriers, gas tankers, containers, chemical tankers, etc. There will be no ‘maritime’ without the marine engineers to get all the operations working in harmony. The career can be a goldmine for those who have a passion for engineering and want to experience the thrill of working at sea.