FLEET MANAGEMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE

INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

Dear Trainee Engineer,

Welcome to the career in Merchant Navy.
You have chosen a very professional and rewarding career. This is a very challenging field and requires
a lot of hard work and right attitude for success. There is no place like the ship to learn your trade and
skills and develop yourself professionally. We are sure that you youngsters are full of energy and are not
afraid of working hard.
‘Learn while you work and work while you learn’.
As your career is about to commence, it is natural that there will be lot of questions in your mind. Please
go through the following instructions, which will satisfy all your queries.
1. Now that you are part of Fleet Management Ltd. family and we expect you to maintain high
standards of self-discipline, positive attitude, courtesy to seniors, cheerful subordination, personal
grooming and helping nature to other crew members. While on board always show your willingness
to work and learn.
2. Whenever you visit any FML office or Fleet Management Training Institute (FMTI) you must be
professionally dressed, nicely shaved and have trimmed hair. Shave every morning when you come
here, not on the previous evening. Wear a tie, put on clean and ironed clothes and put polished shoes
every time. Do not wear jeans, cargo pants, T–shirts, casual shoe, ear rings, gaudy belt and any other
garish attire. Fleet Management Limited advocates Zero Tolerance Policy towards ill-groomed
officers and trainees within its office premises.
3. You are required to make two personal files-one for the head office in Mumbai and one for FMTI
and also one file at your regional office. You must deposit photocopies separately at both the offices,
in A4 size, of following documents in the same order to make your files:
a) Passport
b) Visa, if any
c) CDC
d) Class 4 Part A (EXN-45)
e) 4 STCW certificates – EFA, PST, FPFF and PSSR
f) OTF & CTF certificates
g) Oil & chemical endorsements
h) INDOS certificate
i) Yellow Fever vaccination card
j) Graduation certificate and final mark sheet
k) Pre-sea training certificate and mark sheet
l) Class X & XII mark sheet
m) Any other training certificates
n) Resume, if any
o) Recommendation letter/ guarantee letter, if any

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INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

p) Photographs in pure white background, 80% of the photo area is to be covered by face, no digital
or scanned photo, of following sizes:
 50mm x 50mm – 4 pc
 35mm x 45mm – 4 pc
 30mm x 30mm – 8 pc
 PP size - 6 pc
Write your name at the backside of all photographs. If any of the documents are not obtained by you
at present, then you must courier/ fax it to us and your regional office as soon as you get it. You
must also deposit your passport and CDC to me or at your regional office as soon as your US visa is
received. Use only good courier service like DHL, Blue Dart, DTDC, First Flight, TNT, Expressit,
Fedex etc., for sending documents to us.

4. You will be applying for US visa through our office. You must strictly follow the instructions as
given by our office with regard to application, appearing in interview and receipt of visa. Please do
not collect the visa personally, unless clearly stated by our office. Your visa along with passport will
be sent to us by the embassy/ consulate.
5. You will be given a list of computer based training programs to be attended at the institute. The web
based program can be attended at some of our regional offices also. You can attend the program in
any order but in any case the completed list must be submitted to us before you join the vessel. There
are many more programs on the web and LAN, but you stick to the list given to you, otherwise you
will not be able to complete all the programs during your stay at FMTI. Remember to take the
certificates of courses attended at the institute after completion of training. These certificates must be
carried on-board when you join the vessel.
You are not authorized to browse internet and check your personal mails at FMTI. Also you should
not play games or listen to music on computers or cell phones. Do not smoke and loiter around
unnecessarily in the premises.

6. During your stay in Mumbai for training purpose and for joining vessel, FML will not provide you
accommodation. You will have to manage your own accommodation. However, we will reimburse
you a fixed amount at time of joining towards these costs.

7. If you are having any medical problem around the time joining, please bring it to our notice. If
required we will delay your joining. Do not think that with time your medical problem will subside
and you will be ok on the ship. If your condition deteriorate on the ship then at times it may be
difficult to provide you immediate medical relief. You will have to wait till next port to consult a
doctor in person. Though all kind of medicines are available onboard but they cannot substitute for
qualified doctor and well equipped hospital. If you have some contagious disease then you may pass
it to other shipmates also. In case if you are hiding the facts about your health which are of serious
nature, you may be debarred from future employment. So state all facts to us and the doctor which
may hinder your well being on the ship.

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INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

8. At time of joining vessel, please check carefully your flight ticket for all entries & standard
instructions. Understand clearly the timings of flight. You must report airline counter at airport at
least 4 hours prior to the scheduled departure of flight.
 Keep your flight ticket, passport, CDC and company letter in hand bag and not in baggage. Keep
one pen also. All other important document should also be kept in hand bag.
 Get checked your baggage (to be booked) through x-ray at the security counter. They will seal
your baggage. Don’t put your hand baggage in security check otherwise it will be sealed you will
not be able to open it up.
 Then proceed to airline counter and present your ticket, passport and CDC. Please confirm
whether you have to change flight in between and will the airline for next leg of journey is same
or different. In any case, book your baggage up to the last international destination. In case last
leg of journey is a domestic sector, then you may have to collect your baggage at last
international airport and again deposit at the domestic terminal. Clarify all these doubts at the
counter itself. You will be issued a baggage ticket which will be stuck to your flight ticket. This
is the proof of your checking-in the baggage.
 Pick up an identification tag from the airline counter and fill up details and attach to your hand
bag.
 Pick up one ‘Emigration Form’ from same airline counter and fill up details. This form will be
finally submitted to emigration counter.
 The airline attendant will keep issue a boarding pass mentioning the boarding gate, boarding
time and your seat no. If you want a window or aisle seat, tell them in advance before they print
the boarding pass.
 You are allowed to carry up to 40 kg of checked-in baggage and 7 kg of hand baggage in to-fro
international flights. Hand baggage size and weight allowed may vary for different airlines. In
domestic flights 20 kg of checked-in baggage is allowed. Most of the airlines allow hand
baggage up to the size of 20”. However please note that these particulars may slightly vary with
airlines and should be taken as a guideline only.
 If you want to change money go to the money exchanger. Preferably take currency of country to
which you are traveling or otherwise take US Dollars. You can carry up to 200 US$ for your
own emergency need at time of joining. However, the agent will invariably come to pick you
from airport and pass through all the formalities.
 Then proceed for emigration check counter. Present you documents there. They may ask you
some general questions about you or company or the ship you are going to join. After crossing
this check point you will not be able to come back and out of the airport.
 If you have to declare something to customs then go to custom counter which is always next to
emigration counter.
 Then move to the boarding gate and wait till your flight boarding is announced. You must be
there at least 30 minutes before scheduled boarding time.
 In case baggage is lost in transit and is not received by you at destination airport, then
immediately inform your carrier airline help desk. If they are unable to trace your baggage, then
ask for monetary compensation for your immediate personal needs and take the receipt of
complaint lodged with them. Take the help of agent who has come to receive you, if necessary.

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INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

 At all times never leave your baggage unattended. You may be fined at airports for causing a
security scare for unattended baggage. Even outside airports never leave you baggage out of
sight or hold. Even in developed countries incidents of bag snatching take place.
 In case you are stuck at any place for any reason during your journey to join vessel then
immediately contact the travel department personnel at their no.s for further guidance.
9. Don’t keep sharp objects like razor, scissor, blade, knife, screw-driver, nail-cutter, etc.; arms; toys
resembling firearms; pressurized cans like perfume, shaving foam etc.; chemicals etc. in your hand
baggage. Carry all your important documents in your hand baggage. You have to carry passport,
national CDC, Flag state CDC if applicable, EXN 45 (Class 4 Part A), 4 STCW certificates, INDOS
certificate, On–board TAR book, passport size photographs (min. 10), Yellow Fever and Cholera
vaccination card, graduation certificate, pre-sea training certificate, class X and XII certificate,
appointment letter, introduction letter to Master, FML I-card, FML Service and Training Record
Book, certificates given by Fleet Management Training Institute, joining instructions for crew
joining ship, flight ticket and a letter containing agent and flight details. Certificates like birth
certificate, character certificate, caste certificate, residence certificate, voter I-card, driving license,
graduation/ pre-sea training mark-sheets, pre-sea training record book etc. are not required to be
carried.
10. If you are carrying any scheduled medicines with you, always carry doctor’s prescription of them.
Do not carry any contraband items with you like medicines containing sedatives; items of animal or
plant origin such as fur, plant seeds, ivory products etc; food and medicinal products whose content
cannot be established; pornographic material etc. Do not buy such items abroad also. You may be
caught and penalized by customs or quarantine authorities of visiting countries or in India while
coming back.
11. Carry two set of uniforms (black trouser, white shirt, 5/Engineer’s epaulettes, a pair of black leather
shoes, black socks). You have to buy uniform or you can carry the set you were using in pre-sea
training (of course with 5/e epaulettes). It will be nice if you also buy one good quality navy blue full
sweater with provision for epaulettes. Peak Cap, beret cap, blazer, white shorts, name tags etc. are
not necessary to carry. Also carry at least 4 cotton boiler suits, winter clothing including thermal
inner wear and 5 pairs of undergarments. Office will provide you 1 pair of safety shoe, 3 boiler suits
and 1 winter boiler suit. You can buy extra boiler suits if you want. You will get personal protective
equipments like helmet, working gloves, earmuff etc. on the ship. Towel, quilt, bed sheets, mattress,
soap, detergent, medicines, first-aid items and stationary items are always available on ship.
12. It is advised not to carry costly ornaments and electronic gadgets. You can carry following items,
which will be of use to you on the ship – alarm clock, wrist watch, calendar, night suit, woolen cap,
casual shoes, socks (min. 6 pairs), woolen socks (min 1 pair), handkerchief (min. 4), bathroom
slippers, woolen sweater, jacket (leather/ thermal), cotton cap/ head band (oil/sweat protection),
shampoo, dental care kit, shaving kit, comb, nail cutter, shoe care, shoe lace, cosmetics as per
personal needs, ear buds, threads/ needle/ buttons, small folding knife, religious material, goggles,
calculator, pencil torch, dry fruits, envelopes and stamps. If you wear spectacles, then you must carry
at least one extra piece. Sometimes you may encounter minus ambient temperature also, so it will be
wise if you carry a durable, wind proof and warm jacket, a type, which occupy less space in your
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INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

baggage. Carry a tie also onboard so that when you have to visit office directly after returning India,
you can use that.

13. Always keep a watch on your baggage while traveling. Never assume that it is safe in the developed
countries at the airports. Bag snatchers and thieves can be present around airports in developed
countries also. Moreover, if security men find your bags unattended then you may end up in
extensive investigations causing you to miss the flight.
14. Before joining vessel you must open a NRE bank account, preferably at your residence place and
preferably in HSBC Bank. After opening zero dollar account in any bank you must send the first
salary as earliest as possible. If there is no remittance within 3 months then you’re a/c may become
inoperative. You provide the Master, the details of your account and the amount, which is to be
deducted from salary and deposited into your a/c. Your salary will take some time to reach your
account. The request of monthly allotment is given by Master to head office in prescribed form by
15th of the month. Then the allotment for that month is sent in 1st week of the next month which will
again take at least a week to reach into your account depending upon the intermediary banks. So if
you join vessel after 15th then you may not be able to send your allotment for that month because the
allotment request might have already been dispatched by the Master. So in that case you send
allotment from second month onwards and it will reach in your a/c in the third month. If any time
your allotment is delayed then send an official mail through Master to Accounts Department in Hong
Kong, as your salary accounts are not handled in India. Do not keep large cash in possession and
send monthly allotments to your bank account.
15. Keep myself and your regional office informed of your latest contact no. at all times. Any change
should be intimated to us immediately. The land line no., personal mobile no., mobile no of family
members and contact no. of your local guardian or the place where you are staying should be
recorded with us. At time of joining the vessel the logistic plan changes at very short notice. In such
case if you are not contactable then you may miss the joining of ship. Always be ready and mentally
prepared to join the ship at shortest notice.
16. On joining the ship, report to the Master with all your documents. Master will hand over your charge
to the Chief Engineer. Second Engineer under the guidance of Chief Engineer, will be responsible
for your mentoring and training. It is your responsibility to follow their instructions diligently and to
their entire satisfaction.
17. Do not indulge in any illegal activities. Always take advice from your Chief Engineer or Master if
you are in any doubt. You will have to follow the drug and alcohol policy of the company. You will
not be issued alcohol on board and we don’t appreciate if you get it from any crew or ashore.
Smoking and drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited for the trainees. Severe disciplinary action will
be taken against you if you are found indulging in these activities. You must not indulge in
consuming or carrying narcotics with you. The punishment may be as harsh as capital punishment in
some of the countries.
18. Your safety at work is our main concern and make sure that you take utmost care for your safety.
Always follow safe working practices. Always take guidance from Chief Engineer, Second Engineer
or Master.
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INSTRUCTIONS TO NEW TRAINEE ENGINEERS

19. To go ashore always take permission from 2/E or from C/E. Always carry phone no. of ship and
local agent and some identity proof with you. Carry the address of ship’s berth/ terminal in local
language. Be careful about the time of sail out of ship and time of expiring of shore leave. Ship may
sail out leaving you if you do not return in time. Be courteous to local people and sensitive to their
customs. Always follow visiting countries rules, regulations and laws. Do not drive any vehicle
unless you have international driving license. Do not stay out late in the night. There are many
places in the world which are not safe to venture out, even in groups. Be careful of pick-pockets,
swindlers, muggers, thugs and racists. Always take advice from ship’s agent, stevedores and
experienced seamen about the local area. Never get involved in any kind of brawl and arguments.
20. Study for at least 2 hours everyday, keeping in mind the preparation for Class IV examination ahead
of you. You should carry required books for studying onboard.
21. You must wear uniform in mess room and recreation room. Do not loiter around in slippers and
night-wear outside your cabin. Always wear your safety gear and boiler suits whenever proceeding
to engine room/ deck/ any machinery space.
22. Always maintain high level of personal hygiene. Your job will cause you to sweat a lot and your
clothing and body will also become dirty very fast. It may give rise to skin infections. As such you
must take bath at least twice daily and change your boiler suits/ socks daily, or more frequently if
required. You must maintain your cabin and washroom in clean and hygienic condition. While
working also you must maintain tidiness and cleanliness in your working area.
20. Always be in touch with your family. They become anxious if they do not receive any news from
you for a long time. When you board the ship, call your family (from ship or public phone at shore)
at earliest and apprise of your well-being. We will not be happy if we hear from your family that you
haven’t contacted them for a long time. You can phone or exchange e-mails with your family from
the ship. At least phone to your family once every fortnight from ship and every time from port of
call.

Your family can send email to ship’s ID. Please do not send pictures, attachments and large
messages from ship and advise same to your family also. Advise your family to not send any direct
message to ship’s master for your wellbeing, sign-off, wage remittances or any other issues/
enquiries. Families are not authorized to contact the ship’s master directly. Any such communication
should be sent to the office or your family can phone our regional offices and find out about your
wellbeing.

Your family can send letters to you. Letters must be addressed to your name, rank (i.e. 5th
Engineer), ship’s name and then Ebony Ship Management address at Andheri, Mumbai. From
Andheri office it will be sent to the ship.

21. Make sure that you carry Training and Assessment Record (TAR) Book on board and follow it
diligently. Get it endorsed at our office before leaving. Please follow these guidelines with respect to
your TAR Book:

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 Cover it and keep it neat and clean.
 No overwriting is permitted and no correction ink to be used. In case of wrong entry, strike it off
with one line and make the correct entry with initials. Do not use pencil for making entries.
 Keep your TAR book updated at all times with the signatures of your 2/E and C/E at fortnightly
and monthly intervals respectively. Please do not keep the job of getting the TAR book signed at
the end of the contract. In such case, there are high chances of making erroneous entry into the
TAR book because of many activities going on at time of sign-off and also the very purpose of
structured onboard training is defeated if TAR books are not filled and scrutinized by seniors
at stipulated intervals.
 At least one or two tasks/ duties should be completed from every sub-section of
competencies given in the Function 1 to 4 of Section 6 of TAR Book. Do not leave any sub-
section entirely blank. It is not necessary to complete each and every task mentioned in the TAR
Book. Tasks which are not relevant to that ship can be omitted. In any case, at least 75% of
the task/duties in the Section 6 of TAR book must be completed.
 When taking sign of seniors on the TAR Books, make sure the dates are spread out evenly
throughout your stay on the vessel. MMD Surveyors may refuse to accept TAR Books where the
signatures appear have been made on the same date. Ensure different pens/ inks are used for
different dates and signatures. The officer signing the document must also put the date himself in
his hand writing.
 Present the TAR book to every Superintendent visiting your vessel and record his comments on
the page 'Company's Inspection of Record Book' of Section 2.
22. At time of signing off, carefully check the entries in your CDC and Sea Service Certificate. The
commencement date of your first sea service certificate and end date of the last sea service certificate
should be exactly same as in the CDC. Rank also must be same in both the documents otherwise you
will not be allowed to sit in the MMD exams. Please ensure that the new format of Sea Service
Certificate (QMS Form E 15) is used. Ensure that in ‘Nature of Duties’ column of sea service
certificate you get ‘IV (b)’ entry. In case, a Chief Engineer signs off in a port and at a later date you
also sign off at the same port without any additional sea steaming time, then from the incumbent
Chief Engineer get a new Certificate of Sea Service for the port stay under his supervision
mentioning no. of steaming days at sea as 'Nil'. Sea steaming days implies actual number of days that
the vessel was sailing. Vessel's stay in port and at anchorage is not to be considered as
sea steaming time. For your information, minimum no. of sea steaming days required to appear in
class 4 part B exam is 120 days. It is important that the certificate is issued by the Chief Engineer
only for the period during his tenure on board the ship. Any deviation from this norm is likely to be
adversely viewed by the MMD Surveyor when assessing your eligibility.
23. After your sign-off you meet us at FMTI and present your TAR book. The Training Manager will
not sign your TAR Book if it is presented to us incomplete/ improperly filled. We will assess your
TAR book and review your training done on board. You will also be required to fill up the De-
briefing form at this meeting. Also remind the trainee engineer whom you are relieving to meet us
personally at FMTI. When you are appearing in Class IV exams after sign-off, keep informing us
about your whereabouts and your progress in preparatory classes/exams so that we can place you as
soon as you get Class IV COC in hand. Please feel free to seek any advice from us in this regard.
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24. At this beginning stage of the career, professional commitments should take precedence over
domestic matters. When we take up this career at sea, it is understood that we cannot meet all
domestic commitments as in ashore life and have to take it in our stride and accept that we may have
to miss out on few festivals/rituals/domestic engagements etc. As such please do not ask for early
relief. Completing contract will always put you in good praise. We also feel that though 6 month
steaming time is required for appearing in class IV exam, but it is not sufficient for you to develop
into a mature 4th Engineer. As such we send you on 8 month contract and we don’t expect you to
sign-off just after 6 months citing any reasons. Please do not send message from ship that you have
finished sea time so now you want to sign–off. Also do not make any false excuse of family
problems or personal problems to sign off as it may go as a bad remark in your record. If you want to
come back by breaching the contract, you will be required to pay your airfare, agency fee, visa fee
etc. and same for your reliever. In any case, you will be signed–off only from a convenient and
economical port. Even after completion of contract, if you insist on signing off at a port which is not
economical to us, then you may be asked to bear your and reliever’s travel expenses. At times you
may have to stay more than 8 months if we do not find a suitable port or a suitable reliever. We will
also generally not entertain requests for extension of contract because there may be many 5th
Engineers waiting to commence their career. Extending your contract will delay their career.
25. You can communicate with me on the following address or by e-mail/ telephone before joining ship,
on board ship or after signing-off. You should be in touch with me at time of giving exams and
should apprise me of every development time to time apart from updating your regional office. You
may call on my mobile phone at any time, whenever you need any support.
Fleet Management Training Institute (FMTI)
122, The Great Eastern Galleria, Sector-4, Nerul, Navi Mumbai - 400 706
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 00 91 22 67947281 (Direct)/ 7280 (Board)
Fax: 00 91 22 67947290
FML offers you not only a job but also a career. On your coming back from ship, we will be very
happy to meet you as smart, confident, mature, hale and healthy person and a professional engineer
with officer like qualities. Work hard and study well. Keep in touch. All the best to you. Wish you
very safe and pleasant stay onboard.

C. Maheshwar
Training Superintendent
Mobile: 0091 93230 42545

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