Careers for Croatians Within The International Merchant Shipping Industry

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Careers for CroatiansWithin The International
Merchant Shipping Industry
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Have you ever thought about a career at sea...

• training to be an officer on board a cargo or
  passenger ship in the international merchant
  shipping industry?

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Scope of presentation

• What is the merchant shipping industry?
• What does a career in shipping have to offer?
• What skills and qualifications are required?

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The shipping industry

• Transports 90 of world trade
• Safest and most environmentally friendly form of
  commercial transport
• 50,000 ships trading internationally

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Big business

• High value assets - new ships can cost over 100
  million each
• Freight rates generate 200 billion dollars for
  world economy

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Global industry

• Ships may be owned in one country
• Managed from a second
• Registered in a third country
• Crewed by seafarers from one or more others

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The worlds seafarers

• Multinational crews common, but working language
  English
• 1.25 million seafarers employed worldwide
• Most senior officers from the Organisation for
  Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
  countries
• Most ratings (plus growing number of officers)
  from developing countries

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A regulated industry

• Regulated by United Nations - International
  Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Ships officers, regardless of country, are
  trained to common global standards
• Over 30 international conventions governing high
  maritime employment standards (safety, wages,
  accommodation etc.)

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Careers at sea

• Different specialties but work always varied e.g
• - Navigation and engineering skills using
  latest technology
• - Leadership and management skills to ensure
  safety and well being of a community living and
  working at sea

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Career progression

• Following progression to senior grades -
  including, eventually, shore based management -
  commercial skills are gained
• Movement of majority of worlds goods and raw
  materials is major corporate business

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Reasons to go to sea

• Good wages

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Good wages

• Generous compared to shore
• In Europe, 22 year old junior officer's salary
  similar to 30 year old university graduate
• In developing countries (such as Croatia)
  seafarers are amongst very highest paid

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Good wages...

• Save money when young (travel, food and
  accommodation paid for)
• Often tax free , depends upon time on ship
• Officers can expect rapid promotion to become
  highly paid captains and chief engineers
  (commonly in less than 10 years)

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Reasons to go to sea
Early responsibility
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Early responsibility

• Officers have much responsibility from the start
  of their careers for safety of their ship, lives
  of their ship mates and protection of the
  environment
• Trainees can expect to qualify as deck or engine
  officers in 3 to 4 years (thorough combination of
  shore based college and training at sea)

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Early responsibility...

• Young officers, reporting to senior officers,
  responsible for supervising ratings (often
  recruited from developing countries)
• Deck officers (during watch periods) responsible
  for safe navigation of the entire ship
• Engine officers (during watch periods)
  responsible for enormous industrial machinery on
  which safety of ship depends

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Reasons to go to sea
Good long term prospects
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Good long term prospects

• Global shortage of ships officers
• Shortage likely to increase in early 21st Century
  
• As world population and economy grow - quantity
  of goods moved by sea continues to increase

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Good long term prospects...

• Pause in officer recruitment in number of
  countries some years ago. Many senior personnel
  are due to retire
• Therefore excellent prospects of fast advancement
  for young people
• Opportunities extend to shore based management
  jobs which require seagoing experience
• Career at sea does not mean lifetime at sea

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Reasons to go to sea
Doing something useful
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Doing something useful

• Ships are lynchpin of global economy
• Without ships the world economy would collapse,
  raw materials, goods and food could not be
  transported
• Shipping is also the safest and most
  environmentally friendly form of transport

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Reasons to go to sea
Opportunities to travel
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Opportunities to travel (anywhere)

• You can travel to almost any country in the world
  - with the interest and experience this brings
• Many ships trade anywhere - not just the normal
  business and holiday destinations

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Opportunities to travel...

• Many seafarers progress to shore based work in
  shipping offices all around the world - from Los
  Angeles to Hong Kong, to Tokyo or London - during
  the course of their careers
• A career in shipping means joining an
  international network of contacts and associates

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Reasons to go to sea
Career flexibility and security
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Career flexibility and security

• Ideal for young people seeking something
  different but who may want traditional career in
  the future
• In 21st Century, work is increasingly uncertain,
  but shipping combines security of employment with
  flexibility and opportunity
• Internationally recognised qualifications agreed
  by the United Nations

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Career flexibility and security...

• Officers can work for the thousands of shipping
  companies located around the world
• Others use their qualifications and experience to
  work ashore in the many professional jobs that
  exist to service shipping

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Career flexibility and security...

• Other jobs after a career at sea include
  - shipping company
  management - marine surveying
  -
  maritime law and insurance
  - working as broker finding cargoes for ships
  - or even buying and selling ships
• Skills and experience from sea are also readily
  transferable to other industries

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Reasons to go to sea
Long holidays
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Long holidays

• In most shore based jobs annual holidays are only
  a few weeks each year (far less than at school or
  college)
• Seafarers generally enjoy generous leave periods
  (flights to and from the ship paid for as an
  international legal requirement)

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Long holidays...

• On short sea trades, one month working
  followed by one month at holiday is common
• On intercontinental or deep sea trades, leave
  periods of several months duration are not
  uncommon
• Seafarers can enjoy other interests at home and
  have extended time with their families

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Reasons to go to sea
Something different to working in an office
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Doing something different

• A ship is a unique environment - home to the
  people on aboard
• Special profession - outside the experience of
  people working ashore
• Merchant seafaring is a civilian occupation -team
  work is the important requirement rather than
  military discipline

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Doing something different ...

• Many opportunities for socialising - on board,
  and during visits to foreign ports
• Very cosmopolitan with many different
  nationalities working together
• Joining the industry is like belonging to a
  special international club

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Qualifications and entry requirements
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Cadet Entry requirements

• Education and training differs from country to
  country
• But international competence requirements are
  determined by the United Nations
• Training for officers normally begins at 18 years
  old as a Cadet

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Cadet Entry requirements

• Four years study at Maritime High School
• Ability in maths and science usually required
  (especially physics for engineers)
• Good eyesight and no colour blindness for Deck
  Cadets
• Medically fit - examination and certificate
  required
• Good skills in English language
• Education and training leading to careers as
  ships officers differs from country to country.
• But international competence requirements are
  determined by the United Nations.
• Education and training for officers normally
  begins at 18 (though in some countries
  opportunities exist for graduates with unrelated
  degrees)

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Entry requirements

• After high school , usually a year or more of on
  board training at sea
• Cadets may also study for two years for a
  maritime degree at a maritime faculty at a
  university , before sea training
• Officers working internationally must meet
  competence standards and be issued with STCW
  certificates - this requires examination at local
  Harbour Master office

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Interested? What to do next?

• Get in touch with
• Split Ship Management
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Postal address
• Boktuljin put bb , 21000 Split
• Email ssm-personnel_at_ssm.htnet.hr
• Website www.ssm.hr

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Good Luck with Your Career !