BE in Marine Engineering / Nautical Science and PG Diploma in Mechanical Engineering are the basic qualifications to become a Marine Engineer. The minimum educational qualifications for pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering or Nautical science is plus two or equivalent with high percentage of marks in science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. These courses are of 4 years duration. Chennai School of Ship Management offer Alternate Training Scheme (ATS) of three years to become a Marine Engineer.

Good health is required to be a good Marine Engineer. Physical fitness is a must and there are certain medical norms that need to be met to get entry into the Marine Engineering courses. The minimum height should be 150cms with correlated weight and proportionate chest with minimum 5-cm expansion. He should also pass a medical fitness test for sea service under standard norms and with eyesight 6/6 with no colour blindness.

T S Chanakya, Mumbai, and the Marine Engineering Research Institute (MERI), Calcutta are the two main training centres for Marine Engineers, be Most institutes admit candidates through an entrance examination, which is normally held in the month of May every year at various centres all over India followed by viva-voice and medical examination. Selection to T S Chanakya and MERI is made through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) conducted annually by IIT. After applying to IIT for appearing in JEE, candidates are required to submit a separate application to the Directorate General of Shipping, Jahaz Bhavan, W.H Marg, Mumbai 400 001. The Alternate Training Scheme (ATS) of Chennai School of Ship Management was structured by International Maritime Organisation.

Those who have BE in Marine engineering and a passion for academics can pursue post graduation (i.e ME in Marine engineering) which is of two years duration and Ph.D. Educational qualification for M.E and Ph.D, is BE in Marine Engineering and ME in Engineering respectively. Many institutes in India and abroad offer these courses. 

Course Details : A course in Marine engineering deals with the training leading to careers in ship repair and ship operation. The candidates are given a knowledge of fairly high standards in fundamental engineering sciences, specialised knowledge of theoretical and practical marine engineering and also a basic knowledge of social sciences and humanities. In addition to this, the course entitles the trainees to acquire the competencies prescribed by the Standards of Training, Certification and watch-keeping for sea-farers.

Personal skill:

In order to become a Marine engineer, a person should possess some essential personal attributes. Good English language proficiency and physical fitness is a must. They should have excellent technical knowledge, math and IT skills. A marine engineer should have organising quality, team spirit and practical thinking and common sense. He should possess an aptitude to be calm under pressure and should know how to manage the situation. Once in the profession he should always update his knowledge and should be aware of the latest developments. As they are working with big equipments and engines, patience is another essential skill that Marine engineers should have. They should have an awareness of health and safety procedures. More over he should enjoy sea travel and should be dedicated to his job.