The Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), formerly known as the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training (DMET), is India's national institute for the training of marine engineers. It is India's oldest and best known marine engineering college.
MERI offers a four-year Bachelor's degree program in Marine Engineering admissions for which are made through the Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) conducted by IITs. The degree was however granted by the renowned Jadavpur University. Prior to 2000, the four-year course was conducted under the aegis of Director General of Shipping. Based on the recommendations of the Board of Assessment for Educational Qualifications, the Indian Government's Ministry of Education and Culture decided to recognize this course as equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Engineering from 1983 onwards. However, with the establishment of the Indian Maritime University in March 2009, the affiliations for all courses have been transferred to the IMU, which awards its own degrees.
History
Marine engineering training in India had its formal beginning in 1927 on board the Training Ship Dufferin. 8 years prior, the first Indian owned vessel, S.S. "Loyalty" sailed out of Bombay Harbour on April 5, 1919 for London. The vessel was owned by M/S. Scindia Steam Navigation Company. The Master and the other officers were British. Subsequently, Sir P. S. Sivaswamy Iyer, KCSI, CIE moved a resolution in the Indian Legislature to train Indians for the merchant marine. The R.I.M.S Dufferin was acquired by the Department of Commerce and commissioned as a training ship. On November 23, 1927, the first batch of 50 nautical cadets joined the I.M.M.T.S. Dufferin under the command of Capt. Superintendent Sir Henry Digby Beste. In 1935, training of engineering cadets also commenced on the Dufferin with each batch consisting of 25 nautical and 25 engineering cadets. Some famous graduates were Capt. M. J. Sayeed of NOL, Vice Admiral R. D. Katari, India's first Indian Chief of Naval Staff, DMET's founding Deputy Directors Mr. S. Kasthuri (who later went on to head INS Shivajiand Cochin Shipyard) and Mr. T.K.T. Srisailam. At least eight of the Dufferin's graduates rose to be admirals. Many of the graduates rose to be the Principal Examiner of Engineers and the Chief Surveyor to the Government of India. At least one, K. Ramakrishna, was appointed as the Principal Examiner of Engineers at the DoT, UK.
Vast technological changes during the war years, challenges in a post-colonial world and realigned world order necessitated updated training systems. In 1947, the newly independent country's founders foresaw the need for an up to date and modern Merchant Marine. Article 246 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India mandates that the Indian Union has jurisdiction and the responsibility for "Maritime shipping and navigation, including shipping and navigation on tidal waters; provision of education and training for the mercantile marine and regulation of such education and training provided by States and other agencies."
On the recommendation of The Merchant Navy Officers Training Committee constituted in 1947, by the Government of India, the function of pre-sea training of marine engineers was transferred ashore under a new name. The 'Directorate of Marine Engineering Training'(DMET in short) commenced operations on August 10, 1949 in temporary facilities in Boribunder in Bombay and Gorachand Road in Park Circus, Calcutta, with a total intake of 50 students (20 at Bombay and 30 at Calcutta). The institute finally moved into new facilities in Taratala Road in 1953 and Lower Parel in 1966.
The new building in Calcutta was formally inaugurated as the Marine Engineering College on December 14, 1953 by the Prime Minister,Jawaharlal Nehru with the Transport Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in attendance. J. S. H. Stephenson assumed Directorship in Calcutta. S. Kasthuri was Deputy Director at Calcutta and T. K. T. Srisailam was appointed Deputy Director at Bombay. K. S. Subramaniam, Motee L. Jagtianie and B. D. Merchant were appointed as Officers in the Calcutta branch. Their vision and subsequent adoption and inclusion of modern subjects such as Control Engineering and Electronics, which were new topics in those days, lay a firm foundation for the academic curriculum at the nascent Institute. Students trained at marine workshops during the day and attend classes by at night for 3 years of the program. The 4th year was devoted fully to classroom instruction at Calcutta. In August 1958, the intake was increased to 60 students and to 100 in the subsequent year. In 1962, an all-India entrance examination was introduced to streamline the standard of the incoming class. In 1982, Institute of Engineers (India) started recognizing DMET graduates with a First Class (Motor or Steam) licence as equivalent to a graduate engineer, with the right to be called a Chartered Engineer and use "C. Eng(I)" after their name.
Marine engineering training at M.E.R.I., Calcutta, underwent several minor changes in the 1970s. In 1977-78, an expert committee nominated by Govt. of India, headed by Prof. Shankar Lal, ex-Director of IIT Kharagpur, recommended changes in the DMET course curriculum mainly pertaining to class contact hours, practical training etc. The successful incorporation of these changes led to the recognition of the graduation certificate of the 4 year course at DMET, as being equivalent to a first degree in Marine Engineering, by the Government of India, starting calendar year 1983.
As part of a revamp of the marine engineering training process in India, in October, 1991, the Government of India appointed a Committee on Maritime Education and Training - COMET, under the chairmanship of Dr. Chandrika Prasad Srivastava, ex-Secretary General of International Maritime Organization, to study the status of all maritime training institutes in the country and present recommendations. Based on COMET's findings, the Merchant Marine Education and Research Trust - MMERT, was formed with the assistance of ship owners' associations, as a first step, towards the formation of an Indian Maritime University, which will, in the future, supervise and control maritime education at Indian Institutes.
Since inception, the Institute has had to cope with many challenges. It has had to operate with a small or flat budget, lack of funds for the modernization of infrastructure, challenges regarding content of the curriculum, loss of faculty due to retirement and better pay at sea, dilemma of developing DMET as an academic institution or as a paramilitary type training institute, neglect of the authorities at the Ministry of Shipping etc. But, its students developed a reputation for being the world's finest marine engineers. The Indian marine engineer became synonymous with DMET. It is no coincidence that almost every major shipping company in the world has at least one DMETian in its onshore management personnel or floating staff. Many of the world's largest vessels: the ULCCs, are manned by Indian marine engineers. The star of DMET graduates has continued to rise, as they built up a formidable reputation for quality engineering skills. Many DMET graduates went on to found marine engineering workshops, build successful companies, found maritime training institutes, develop surveying standards, and of late, make the transition to the New Economy by pursuing successful careers in Management.
The four government owned Maritime Institutes, namely, LBS CAMSAR Mumbai, TS Chanakya, Navi Mumbai, MERI Kolkata, and MERI Mumbai were integrated under the auspices of the Indian Maritime University in 2008.
DMET/MERI celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on 14 December 2010.
[edit]Directors of the institute
- J. S. H. Stephenson
- S. Kasthuri
- T. K. T. Srisailam
- K. S. Subramaniam
- S. D. Srivastava
- D. K. Sanyal (acting)
- K. Kishor
- S. Ganguly (acting)
- D. C. Agnihotri (acting)
- B. N. Bera
- S. Mukhopadhyay
- S. K. Sarkar
- M. K. Ghosh (acting)
[edit]Training
MERI has a large workshop with machinery, equipment and steam and diesel power plants for training and to meet IMO and AICTErequirements. Students visit marine workshops for on the job training. Laboratories are provided for cadets/students to conduct practical experiments. Class rooms and teaching aids are in compliance with AICTE requirements.
The Ministry of Education and Culture accorded approval to the graduation certificate issued by the institution as being equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Engineering with effect from 1980-1983 course for the purpose of recruitment to posts under the Central Government.
The Graduation certificate issued by the institution received recognition from the Institution of Engineers (India) as an exempting qualification from their A and B examinations from 1982 onwards.
The course has the approval of A.I.C.T.E.
In order to meet the IMO requirements for marine engineers working on board ship the training curriculum has been oriented to comply with the requirements of the STCW 95 convention.
For quality accreditation, the institute is a certified ISO-9001 institute. It complies with the Indian Government's Right to Information Act.
[edit]Admissions
There are 120 seats available in TS Chanakya, Navi Mumbai, 240 in MERI, Kolkata and 40 seats for B.sc Maritime Science(BMS) and *120 seats for Post-Graduate Diploma in Marine Engineering(PGDME) for Graduate Mechanical Engineers(GME) in MERI, Mumbai. 10 seats are reserved for foreign nationals in TS Chanakya, MERI, Kolkata and MERI, Mumbai. Of the remainder, 15% are reserved for SC and 7-1/2% for ST.
- 120 seats for PGDME entry at MERI,Mumbai is though sponsorship from foreign shipping companies and Indian Shipping companies including The shipping Corporation Of India.
Candidates have 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and with a minimum age as mentioned in the prospectus with relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST candidates.
[edit]Distinguished Alumni
+ R.K.Mehrotra, Roll No. 693, M/s Foresight Shipping Co. UK
+ K. Chidambaram, Roll No. 888, M/s Chidambaram Ship Care & Chidambaram Marine Training. Int. Chennai
+ P.K. Banerjee, CEO. & Country Manager, Roll No. 966, M/s Lloyd's Register of Shipping (India & Sri Lanka)
+ S.D. Sharma, Former Director, Roll No. 1031, Singapore Marine College
+ Arun Sharma, MD, Roll No. 693, M/s India Steamship Company Ltd.
+ R.N Chadha, CEO & Country Manager (South-East Asia), Roll No. 1164, M/s Lloyd's Register of Shipping (Indonesia)
+ M.K. Dutta, Special Officer to Deputy Prime Ministry, Govt. of U.K. London, Roll No. 1019
+ R.G. Singh, Ex. Chief Surveyor and Director General of Shipping, Roll No. 226, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, Govt. of India.
+ S.D. Srivastava, Ex Director, Marine Engineering & Research, Pass out - 1957, Institute, Kolkata and Head (Training) I.M.O.
+ Mr. Rajeev Ratan Singh, Roll Number 4821; Cadet of 1995 entry batch founded Jalsa Shree Marine Services and Vulcan Marine Pvt Ltd. Mr Singh holds a PGDM from Indian School of Business as well.
+ Mr. Rajesh Verma, Superintendent, Master Bulk Pvt. Ltd., Singapore + Mr. Ratan Kumar, Marine Operation Manager, Lloyd's Register, India (1981)
[edit]Infrastructure
The land area is 33 acres, fully residential, at P-19, Taratala Road, Kolkata 700 088 with hostel facilities for 600 cadets.
Laboratories include Mechanical Lab, Hydraulic Lab, Heat Lab, Electronics Lab, Electrical Lab, Control Lab, Boiler Lab, Computer Lab,Marpol Lab, Fire Fighting Lab, Simulation Lab, and Seamanship Lab.
The institute has a technical library, stocked with books, journals, videos, and periodicals.
The workshop has a test rig, diesel engine and working models of ship machinery and components.
Residence in the hostel is compulsory and in dormitories for men and women.
Cadets wear uniform throughout their period of training. Cadets are required to inform and take permission from hostel warden to go outside the college campus.
[edit]References
[edit]External links
- MERI Mumbai
- MERI Kolkata
- Institute of Marine Engineers, India
- Indian Institute of Maritime Studies
- Director General of Shipping
- New draft guidelines for engineering trainees
- MERI Entrance Exam
- Alumni Site
- Articles
- India to get its first Maritime University
- "THE HINDU - Education Plus" by Mr. R. Anbu, Marine Engineer, SCI, Chennai
- K. Parthasaradhi, Mariner from yore
- DMET Director TKT Srisailam - a legend
- "The Times of India" - "Fearing Pirates, Sailors Look for New Jobs" by Mr.Rangaswami Anbu, MarineEngr, Chennai
- Parliamentary question on the future of MERI
- Maritime Resources
- International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- Directory of Maritime Links
- SeaLibrary Online (IMO Library Catalogues)
- CMTI - Compendium of Maritime Training Institutes (Maritime Colleges Database - CMTI)
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