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Did you know? Almost 90% of the world’s shipping happens through the sea. You’d think that with the advent of globalization, imports and exports would mostly happen through air. However, that’s far from the truth. Only about 10% of commercial goods are transported by road, rail and air combined. Moreover, with most international air routes being restricted due to the coronavirus, goods transported through the sea might now be well over 90%. This brings us to our topic, marine engineers – the force behind international trade and transport.

What is marine engineering? Glad you asked, it is a specific engineering branch that trains students to design, construct, operate and maintain everything maritime. This includes ships, vessels, tankers, submarines, cruises, oil rigs and related engineering equipment that allow these vessels to go about their job without any hiccups. The marine industry is responsible both directly and indirectly for a country’s economic growth, and with all this responsibility, comes a lot of careers. In fact, marine engineering is considered a highly technical job-oriented field, and multiple formal certifications are required to make your way in this field.

While there are different things that each marine engineer does, they often spend a lot of their time at sea along with a dedicated crew. So, apart from being great team players, they also have to bring individual skills to the table. There’s no doubt that the competition is high, but the good news is that the demand for marine engineers is expected to grow by 9% within the next decade.

Staying at sea for long periods isn’t for everybody, but if you think you’ve got the guts and are truly interested in this field. Here are five advantages to being a maritime engineer.

Salaries: Being away from civilization and the many comforts of life at home is a daunting task, and employers know this too. That’s why they offer handsome pay packages to their employers. At a starting level, you will probably be a 5th engineer. With exams and experience, you can be promoted to the fourth, third, second and finally the chief engineer. The average rough estimated salaries for the same in rupees are:

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Long Vacations: Since you are required to stay on sea for extended durations, apart from the salaries, you also receive extended breaks in between projects to relax and recharge. For example, if your project involved staying at sea for 6 months, you might get a break for 3 months or more on returning.

Travel: While half of the work is at sea, the other half is at ports. Marine engineers get to visit, experience and stay in exotic locations as part of their work. So, if travelling is your passion, why not join this industry and earn (a lot) while you fulfil your dream.

Tax Benefits: If you spend 6 months onboard a vessel, you are exempt from paying taxes in India. While these rules vary from country to country, most people in the marine industry pay very little or absolutely no taxes.

Professionalism: Imports and exports are a vital part of trade, and global trade builds economies. This job comes with a lot of responsibility and to do justice to these tasks you will need to develop a ton of professional skills like discipline, communication, collaboration and resourcefulness. These skills are necessary both professionally and personally.

Now, how do you become a marine engineer? While you can enter laterally with experience, most people start from a BS marine engineering course or other related degrees such as mechanical engineering or electrical engineering and work their way up. Many universities all around the world offer these programs but pursuing marine engineering in USA is a popular choice among Indian students. A bachelor of science in marine engineering from a different country opens you up to specific starting jobs that are available there. Since the skills are transferable, you can always pick another region to work in later on.

A BS in Marine Engineering from US is sought widely by students looking to enter this field due to the high starting salaries they offer. So, here are 5 famous marine engineering colleges in USA and the programs they offer.

  1. Maine Maritime Academy

    2. – Marine Systems Engineering

    – Marine Engineering technology

    – Marine Engineering Operations

  2. Massachusetts Maritime Academy

    3. – Energy Systems Engineering

    – Marine Engineering

    – Marine Transportation

    – International Maritime Business

  3. SUNY Maritime College

    4. – BE Marine Engineering

  4. Texas A&M University

    5. – BS Marine Engineering Technology

  5. CAL Maritime

    6. – Marine Engineering Technology

    – Oceanography

    – Global Studies and Maritime Affairs

    – Marine Transportation

While engineering is a popular route among students, marine engineering isn’t. So, we understand the challenges you might face in finding the best universities and programs for you. At Jamboree, we have helped thousands of students get to their dream university in the US, marine engineers included. So, contact us for a free one-on-one session for advice on university requirements, shortlisting, scholarships or anything else.

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