GME (Graduate Marine Engineering) course eligibility, scope, jobs and salary

GME (Graduate Marine Engineering) course eligibility, scope, jobs and salary – Graduate Marine Engineer or simply a Marine Engineer or Graduate Mechanical Engineer is a good course to do since the job salary is high.This is a Post Graduate course that you can do after your Engineering / Technology Course of 4 years are completed. It is a combination of both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

You will be primarily working in a engine room that houses the controls of a 68-80 MW diesel propulsion engine.

This one year course has to be completed before you start your actual onboard ship at sea training and placement.

• Important note – While applying for your GME course,try to find a college that already has tie ups with companies that offer sponsorship

GME (Graduate Marine Engineering) course FEES

There are only handful of institutes that offer this course all over India.Some are onshore and some offshore.The reason is that there is alot of infrastructure and expertise required for this course thats why the fees are also high.You can expect to pay anywhere between 4-6 lakhs for the one year course.It is a fully residential course,you will have to live there 24 hours a day,and only get offshore leave once a week on Sundays.This is also why the fees are so much because all food ,lodging,uniforms etc is all covered in this.

Eligibility

Besides the educational Qualifications of being an Engineer with a B.E or B tech degree,you need to have passed out with at least 50% marks in the Final Year.Some Institutes ask for a First Class also.Your physical eligibility will be according to the MS medical examination rules,2000.

About the GME course

This course is 1 year long divided into 2 semesters.There is only about 20 institutes all over “India that offers this course due to large infrastructure requirements.

You can attempt this after class 12 with science stream.Many colleges ask for atleast 75% in PCM marks or 235 marks out of 300.

Some of the subjects that you will learn are:

1st semester

Boilers

Marine Electro Technology

Marine Refrigeration and air conditioning

Marine Auxillieries

2nd semester

Naval Architecture and ship construction

Ship operation and management

Welding and Smithy shop

Internal Combustion Engine

Marine Engineer hierarchy

After you do this GME course and pass the MEO class 4 part A will still not be considered an engineer,but will help the 3rd and 4th engineers in daily tasks in the engine room for the 6 months internship

.At this stage you still will not have the COC – or Certificate of Competency. You will get this only after clearing the 6 months internship plus completing the MEO Class 4 Part B written exam.The other certificates are CDC and STCW that you need to acquire which is compulsory before you can get a job.

Now you are considered a marine engineer and can get employed on a merchant navy vessel of a foreign company and earn is US dollars.

Further you can give written exams like MEO class 2 and MEO class 1 and rise up through the ranks to 1st engineer and chief engineer.

Scope salary and jobs

After getting a contract with a merchant carrying vessel you can be at sea for 3-4 months at one stretch and there are few advantages and disadvantages to this job.

Salaries will depend on your rank but when you join up as 3rd and 4th engineer you will get a salary of atleast $1500 a month including other small perks all paid by the merchant company.

There will not only be engineers working in the engine room.Besides you your other colleagues will be painters,oilmen,motormen and fitters.

Some of your duties and tasks while a GME will be:

• Watching of engine and gauges
• Ballast and tank operations
• Hydraulic checks
• Ballasting

About the job – A Sea job is not for everyone,and is a hard job.The conditions especially in the engine room are wet,hot,dirty and difficult.The engine room is like a mini power plant in the middle of the ocean.

In small towns on land, these plants generate electricity for the entire town and are manned by many employees.In the sea you will be just a dozen engineers responsible for it.

After getting atleast a years worth of experience as a GME you can expect to get a contract with a merchant company like P& O etc.But in this time you need to have learnt all the controls, tasks and duties.