New International Job opportunities on board ships as ETO or ETR

The International Ma r i t im e Organization’s ( IMO) amendments to the existing Standards of Training, Certification and Wa t c h k e e p i n g (STCW) Convention; known as the 2010 Manila Amendments, have opened up exciting new careers at sea in the electrical field, to serve on board foreign ships and receive an attractive remuneration package. This is a great new opportunity for our youth to venture into after obtaining the necessary shorebased training and qualifications. The International Mar i t ime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

To trace how it became a reality in Sri Lanka, we spoke to Mr. Carlton X. Harriharan, who is the Head of Department of Marine Electrical Engineering of the CINEC Maritime Campus and this is what he had to say.

Although many seafarers had great expectations to take on these challenging but very interesting careers as Electro- Technical Officer ( ETO) and ElectroTechnical Rating ( ETR) to serve onboard large merchant ships plying on international trade routes, during the 1990’s there were fears that the Marine Electrical Engineer positions at that time would be reduced, removed or even eliminated and taken over by the Marine Engineers, similar to what happened to the Radio Officers employed on board.

Way back in 1995, I had the strong belief that seafarers specialized in electricity and electronics will be a necessity on board container ships and all electric ships to the extent that it would be a mandatory requirement. I therefore took on this personal challenge and joined the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College, better known as CINEC, attached to the Department of Marine Engineering on a visiting basis. By this time I already had 10 years of sailing experience in the period 1981 to 1995, with service on various types of vessels which included General Cargo, Reefer, Container and Car Carriers.

I accepted a permanent post as Lecturer at the Department of Marine Engineering in 1997 and became heavily involved in developing the Marine Engineering and Electrical Engineering courses along with other shore based vocational training under the guidance of the Director, Department of Marine Engineering and the Group Managing Director of CINEC and its parent Ceyline group of companies.

At that time, my intention was to start and develop a separate training unit to be later known as the Department of Marine Electrical and Electronic Engineering. This new unit was to be attached to the Department of Marine Engineering which had a fully equipped laboratory and electrical workshop facility to train Marine Engineers and Electrical Engineer Officers and familiarize new students to the marine environment to serve on international commercial ships. The vision of our department was to train and promote Sri Lankan youth as Marine Electrical Officers and Marine Electrical Engineers to easily fit into the challenging career opportunities in the international marked.

My dream became a reality in the year 1998 when our training unit became a fully fledged Department, known as the Department of Electrical, Electronic & Control Engineering; with the blessings of the Director of Quality, the Managing Director and the General Manager, under the guidance of the Director of Marine Engineering to train Marine Electrical Officers.

In the very same year, I had predicted and announced at several schools and college career guidance seminars that there will be a big demand and a bright future for careers as Electro Technical Officers on board ships and invited many youth to follow the courses to become Marine Electrical Engineer Officers and take on the challenge with its due rewards.

The predictions became true with CINEC having trained eighteen batches of Marine Electrical Officers and a further eight batches of Marine Electrical Engineers from 1996 to date. Out of the 230 students who successfully completed the Marine Electrical training, approximately 95% were offered training on board ships, starting off with an attractive allowance for a minimum period of one year on board and continuing their careers with the same shipping companies. CINEC also had the distinction of having trained a female student who successfully completed the training and sailed as an Electrical Officer on board foreign going ships. CINEC training includes areas on discipline, ships routine and physical activities in addition to the academic and practical exposure.

I am very proud to declare that CINEC is the first and only college to design a training programme and embark on the training of Marine Electrical Cadets as far back as 2004. The Marine Electrical Officers and Electrical Engineering Cadets trained by CINEC are properly qualified and well accepted by the international marine industry and their work has been appreciated by many international shipping companies, many of whom have been taking in Cadets over the past few years. All of our Cadets are selected for training on board many of the largest and best reputed shipping companies.

I would like to invite our male youth who have completed their G. C . E . Advanced Level examination with passes in Mathematics and Physics to take up this exciting and rewarding challenge to become an internationally recognized Marine ElectroTechnical Officer on board foreign and Sri Lankan registered ships, with high salaries.

Just 18 months of shore based training as an ETO Cadet is required to obtain a Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) issued by the Director General of Merchant Shipping of Sri Lanka. Cadets who complete the further training of 18 months and pass an examination conducted by the Ministry of Ports and Highways will obtain their Certificate of Competency ( CoC) as an ElectroTechnical Officer, issued by the same authority.

I strongly believe that not only males, but also females with G.C.E. A/ L qualifications can follow the same course and take up employment at Maritime Colleges as Lecturers or Instructors, or work in shore based marine workshops, or as technical office staff in shipping companies or as ship surveyor, technical manager or marine engineering superintendent. There are many more opportunities in mini power generation projects, hotels and electrical workshops for those who successfully complete the training.

Students who have completed City & Guilds, National Diploma or De g r e e in Electrical Engineering could easily follow our training programmes and complete the required modules to become internationally recognized Electro- Technical Officers, taking up employment either on board ship or ashore.

Those who are unable to complete G. C. E. Ordinary Level need not worry as they have the chance of becoming an Electro-Technical Rating ( Support Level) after just six months of training.

I would like to take this opportunity to share my views with all Marine Electrical Engineers and Electrical Officers who are already sailing on board ships to visit CINEC or send an e-mail to obtain details and make a booking with our department to follow suitable modules or the ETO Preparatory Course and apply for your CoC and achieve ETO Status at Operational Level on board ship.

Seafarers who are presently sailing as an Electrician or Wireman on board have to follow the Electro- Technical Rating ( ETR) preparatory training course to become properly qualified and obtain their Certificate of Proficiency ( CoP) from the Director General of Merchant Shipping. Eveen a rating sailing as a Motorman or Oiler on board may follow this ETR training as an additional qualification and get promotions on board ships or just to add more value to their technical knowledge.

CINEC’s Department of Marine Electrical Engineering has been recently upgraded to meet the requirements of the STCW 2010 (Manila) amendments. Laboratory facilities to provide training on Basic and Advanced Hydraulics, Electro-hydraulic Training, Basic and Advanced Pneumatic and Electro- pneumatic equipment have been added to the already fully equipped Electronics and Electrical Machines Laboratories and the Electrical Workshops. The Marine High Vo l t age Simulation training facility is due to be added to our department before the end of this year.

Carlton Harriharan

Head of the Department of Marine Electrical Engineering

Colombo International Nautical & Engineering College

CINEC Maritime Campus