A Reality Check On Merchant Navy
Expectations Vs Reality of Merchant Navy
1. High Salary
The High salary package in Merchant Navy always attracts the persons. Who doesn’t want 6 digit pay checks every month. But do you think earning money in Merchant Navy is so simple. The high money is directly realted to high risk factor. Don’t think you will get money simply transporting cargoes from one place to another. The carogoes safety is must as well as your and personnel onboard safety is must. Bad weather,Fire,leakage,Grounding,Abandoning may have to face onboard. Sometimes you have to work 2-3 days continuousl. Don’t just fall for big digit salary. The work in reality is much more tougher than expectations.
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2. Adventure
Yes there is no doubt that this job is way different than others and a way adventurous than others. But the adventure meaning what you have on your mind may differ. When we heard adventure word a picture of beautiful mountains having a cup of tea on hand comes in our mind. But as you go onboard you will have different meaning of adventure. The free rollar coasting adventure. Aquatic animals cutting waves, bunch of fish woving through the waters. May be no contact with family for months. The adventure what you will be going to experience in reality is “Challanging life at sea” and you will start loving it as you continue to sail.
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3. Travelling
Yes I know you have talked with many officers and you know some of them. You see them posting pictures of different countries. Yes seafarers visits many countries but the travelling while job in merchant Navy is totally changed. If we see 12-13 years before technology was very minimum. The unloading and loading was very slow. The ship has to be on port for 7-8 days. Those were the days when seafarers used to get to roam new countries. But now as technology has become better the unloading and loading process may finish sometimes within a day. Yes you get shore leave it’s not like you will not get shore leave but the time period you will get is very minimum. For oil tankers or any gas carriers and all they barely get shore leave. If you are coming in this only for traveling so better think again.
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4. No contact with Families
As we talked about technology in previous point. The technology has given us WiFi onboard ship. Seafarers now are connected with land too. Previously seafarers where sailing without any contact with there family members for months. Now as WiFi has come onboard and it’s almost in every ship. Definitely you will not get unlimited net but you will get sufficient WiFi to be in contact with your loveones every day for an hour. A survey has been done on effect of usage of internet onboard ship and the result was positive in various ways. To see the actual result of survey click How internet is affecting seafarers positively
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