Marine Logistics

Globalization is growing by the day. The export industry is a booming one. The import industry is on an all-time high too. With all this progress, comes the process of transporting goods across international boundaries. This process which involves seeing to the safe and secure movement of goods is known as Logistics. And when these goods are transported over water, i.e., seas and oceans, it is termed as Marine Logistics.

Marine Logistics includes almost all the functions that are related to ports and ships. It revolves around shipping of cargo across international waters. The job of a person involved in maritime logistics includes making a schedule for the movement of cargo, ensuring that the schedule is followed to the T, contacting the people involved at both the ends, coordinating the movement with the people concerned, obtaining all information about the goods to be moved, managing space on the port, as well as, on the vessel, booking the goods for the particular dates, discussing details with the clients, proper loading of the cargo at one end, systematic unloading of the cargo at the other end, safe handling of the goods on the way and supervising all the operations under way.

As is clear, this is no easy job. The scope for employment in this sector is quite high but then, so is the work load. If you want to opt for Marine Logistics as a career, then you have to gather all you must know about logistics, the different kinds of vessels, hydrography and marine engineering. If you have any experience as a sailor, it definitely helps. An extensive experience of working on ships and other vessels also makes one’s portfolio stronger for this job profile.

As the job of a marine logistics professional requires one to be good at balancing many tasks and handling export and import goods, one needs to have excellent managerial skills. One should have a thorough knowledge of the supply chain management and the current global macroeconomics in general.

To be eligible to apply for a job in Marine Logistics, you must be a Science student in XII standard (preferably with Mathematics). The study of Marine Logistics is bifurcated into Nautical Science and Marine Engineering. If you wish to go for the former, go for BSc. after class 12 and if you aspire for the latter, you need to obtain a B.Tech. On completing graduation, you should start working as an intern and gain as much sailing experience as possible, following which, you will be required to appear in a number of examinations to reach your goal. A degree in MBA also helps.

The salary in this profession is good too varying between INR 3,00,000 to INR 5,00,000 on a yearly basis for a beginner. As years keep adding to one’s work experience, it can go up to INR 11,00,000 to INR 12,00,000 per annum . Veterans easily earn around INR 50,00,000 per year.

As this is a rising industry, it is a great career option, the only low-side to it being that sometimes it does not get its fair share of respect when compared to other industries like finance, human resources, administration, marketing, etc. The good news is that slowly but surely, people’s attitude towards this area is changing.