Things you should know before you judge a mariner

Here Are The few Things You Should Know Before You Judge A Mariner -
Q. Do Mariners Earn A Hell Lot Of Money?
Ans: Both YES And NO, Yes Because The Salary Paid In Merchant Navy Is Higher Than Paid On Land To A Person On The Same Scale. No, Because We Get Paid Only During The Contract Period I.e When We Are On Ship, A Few Good Companies Pay Round The Year Wages. So, It Solely Depends On Rank Of The Seafarer And No Of Days Spent At Sea. However Salary In Merchant Navy Is Considerably Higher.

Q. Do Mariners Drink A Lot?
Ans: I Would Agree That Some Of The Mariners Drink, But Many Of Them Don’t. These Days Companies Have A Strict Alcohol Policy, Sometimes Even ZERO Alcohol Policy. On Duty Alcohol Tests Are Conducted At Regular Intervals, Both At Ship And In Ports. So, Its Very Difficult For Mariners To Consume Alcohol.

Q. Do Mariners See The Whole World?
Ans: Yes, We Do Travel All Around The World But Its Difficult To Go Out In All Ports, Because In Ports A Lot Of Jobs Are To Be Done, With The Advent Of Technology, Cargo Loading And Discharging Is So Fast That Merchant Tankers Have Port Stays Of A Day Or Two. So We Have Very Restricted Time Frame To Roam Out Side. On Some Vessel Like Bulk Carrier’s People Get Enough Time For Shore Leave Due To Long Port Stay.

Q. Do Mariners Sail For 6 Months And Be At Home For 6 Months?
Ans: The Most Common Misconception That People On Land Have Is  That Sailors Are Out For 6 Months And Live At Home For 6 Months Which Is Totally Wrong. Yes, At Junior Level We Have 6 Months Contarct, But At Senior Level Many Companies Give Shoorter Contracts Of 3-4 Months. They Don’t Have To Necessarily Be At Home For 6 Months, It’s On Our Wish As Long As They Want To Stay At Home. Most Of The Mariners Join Back Within 3-4 Months.

Q. Do Mariners Retire An Early Age Say 40?
Ans: No, Its Totally On The Discretion Of The Person, As To Till When He Wants To Carry Out Sailing. If He Wishes He Can Sail Lifelong, If Health Permits. Mariners Tend To Leave Sailing Early Because They Want To Focus Totally On Their Family And Till Now They Have Earned As Much That A Decent Sum On Land Per Month Is Enough For Them. Some People Want To Try Their Hands At Business. Most Of Them Get Settled On Shore Job In The Marine Industry On Various Ranks In Shipping Companies.

Q. Do Mariners Have Option Of Shore Jobs?
Ans: Yes Of Course, Mariners Have Ample Opportunities On Shore But At Junior Level The Regard That They Deserve Is Not Given, At Senior Level I.e Master, Chief Officer In Deck Side And Chief Engineer, 2nd Engineer In Engine Side, A Lot Of Opportunities Pour In. The Post Of Technical Superintendent Is Open For Chief Engineers And Superintendents For Captain/Master. Even A 2nd Engineer Or Chief Officer Can Be A Superintendent. Its Just An Example A Lot Of Other Options Can Be Explored, Like Marine Surveyors, Marine Consultants Etc.

Q. Do Mariners Live In Warship Like Conditions And A Strict Disciplinary Regime?
Ans: No, Life On Ship Is Not Like Warships. They Do Follow Discipline At Workplace But That’s Only For Job Purporse. Its Completely Commercial Field And People Are Highly Professional Onboard, So There Is No Bossy Culture Onboard. If You Face Such Problems You Can Always Complain To Dept Head, If Not Addressed You Can Reach Out The Company. Every Company Follows An Onboard Complaint Procedure, Which Is In Copy Given To A Sailor At The Time Of Joining. According To International Labour Organisation(ILO) , Work And Rest Hours Regulation Cannot Be Violated.