What is the merchant navy?
The merchant navy is the commercial shipping fleet — the ships that carry cargo and passengers for commercial purposes. It has no connection to naval or military service. Every person on board is a civilian seafarer employed by a shipping company.
The fleet is organised into departments — Deck, Engine and Catering (or, on cruise ships, Hotel). This page explains what those departments are and how they fit together.
Commercial shipping — not the armed forces.
The merchant navy carries the goods and people the global economy depends on. Bulk carriers move coal, grain and ore. Tankers carry crude oil and refined products. Gas carriers carry liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Container ships move manufactured goods. General cargo vessels, roll-on/roll-off ships, reefers, heavy-lift vessels, offshore support vessels and cruise ships each serve their own trades.
Ships operate under internationally agreed frameworks: SOLAS (safety of life at sea), MARPOL (pollution prevention), STCW (officer competence and certification) and MLC 2006 (seafarer employment and welfare). These are administered by flag-state administrations — the national maritime authorities of the country whose flag a ship flies — and enforced at ports worldwide by Port State Control.
"Merchant navy" is the common term in the UK, India and many Commonwealth countries. The function is the same wherever it's called: the commercial carriage of goods and passengers by sea.
How a ship's complement is organised.
Every seafarer belongs to one of three departments. Each page below maps the ranks within it and how progression works.
You want to navigate ships and, eventually, command one.
Navigation, cargo handling, safety and the bridge watch. You progress from Deck Cadet through watchkeeping officer to Chief Officer — and for some, to Master.
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You want to run and maintain the machinery that moves the ship.
Propulsion, power generation, electrical systems and planned maintenance. You stand watch below and progress from Engine Cadet through watchkeeping engineer to Chief Engineer Officer.
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You want to work in food, service or entertainment — on a ship.
Food and beverage, housekeeping, entertainment, guest services, medical. On large cruise ships the hotel department accounts for 60–75% of the total complement — 800 to 2,000 crew.
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How do you join?
Entry depends on where you qualify. Each national maritime administration runs its own certification system and entry route.
DG Shipping route
DNS, BSc Nautical, GME, BTech Marine, MEO Class 4/2/1, ETO CoC, GP Rating. The Indian route, mapped end-to-end.
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United KingdomUK MCA route
Deck and engineer cadetships, HND and foundation routes, MCA oral exams, ENG1 medicals.
View pathway →
Other flag states — Philippines, Ukraine, Indonesia, China and many more — have their own national routes. Marine One currently covers India and the UK.
Talk to people already doing it.
The Career & Recruitment category on the Marine One forum covers everything from first questions to signing-on and rank exams. Ask what you need to know, read what others have gone through, or just follow the threads.