Marine engineers work on the development and manufacture of the internal systems of boats, ships, maritime instruments and submarines. Shutterstock
Maritime transport is the backbone of international trade and economy. But it’s not always smooth sailing as technical snags can leave both cargo and passenger vessels stranded in the unlikeliest of places and endanger lives. This is where marine engineers come in as they test and repair, among other things, the ship’s machinery.
What is Marine Engineering
Marine Engineering deals with everything related to the design, innovation, construction, test and repair of seagoing vessels, navigation equipment and harbour installations.
Marine engineers mainly work on the development and manufacture of the international systems of boats, ships, maritime instruments and submarines. They design steering and propulsion systems, auxiliary power machinery and other vessel-related equipment. They work on-board to constantly monitor and maintain these machinery.
Studying Marine Engineering:
You can take either of the two pathways mentioned below that lead to Marine Engineering.
Pathway 1: You can get admission to BE/BTech courses in this discipline after clearing state or national-level joint entrance exams.
Pathway 2: You can get a BTech degree in Marine Engineering from Indian Maritime University (IMU) by clearing its common entrance test conducted.
MTech entrance exam for Marine Engineering:
For a master’s degree in Marine Engineering, you need to clear GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering). Other than that, you must clear GATE for admission to MTech courses in Environmental Engineering at IITs and NITs.
You can appear for the exam even if you are in the final year of your BTech course.
Some top institutes for Marine engineering:
Indian Maritime University (IMU) Kolkata, West Bengal
Course: BTech in Marine Engineering.
Course: MTech in Marine Engineering and Management.
IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal
Course: BTech in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture.
Course: MTech in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture.
Indian Maritime University (IMU) Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Course: BTech in Marine Engineering.
Course: MTech in Marine Engineering.
IIT Madras, Tamil Nadu
Course: BTech in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering.
Course: MTech in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering
Course: BTech+MTech in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering.
Course: MTech in Ocean Technology.
Maharashtra Academy of Naval Education & Training (MANET) Pune, Maharashtra
Course: BTech in Marine Engineering.
International Maritime Institute Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Course: BTech in Marine Engineering
NIT Surathkal, Karnataka
Course: MTech in Water Resources and Ocean Engineering.
Job roles with a Marine Engineering degree:
Marine engineer: They are in charge of maintaining, repairing, managing and inspecting important mechanical and engineering equipment on ships and in seaports.
Navy officer: They are in charge of maintaining and operating ships and their systems. These professionals are also responsible for supervising the crew.
Maintenance engineer: They are responsible for repairing, inspecting and maintaining machinery, systems, equipment and infrastructures. They also plan and carry out routine maintenance on ships.
Marine surveyor: They carry out thorough and exhaustive surveys of a ship. They also test, monitor and maintain ship machinery before embarking on a voyage at sea.
Ship manager: They are in charge of a variety of responsibilities, including packaging, shipping, receiving products, supplies, and guiding and managing employees.
Port manager: They ensure that goods move smoothly and arrive at their destination on time. They also plan, administer and review port terminal operations in order to maximise resource efficiency and maintain quality standards.