Nautical Science deals with the art and science of ship operations (deck side). It is an area of study where you learn to navigate and operate ships and boats in the merchant marine. You also learn to handle (load and discharge) many different types of cargo (crude oil, wheat, containers, liquid natural gas etc.) that the ships may carry. The merchant marine's main purpose, of course, is to transport the world's maritime commerce but we also transport passengers (on ferries and cruises), conduct surveys, look for shipwrecks, lay telephone cables, and perform many other interesting maritime operations.
The goal of most people in Nautical Science is to become a ship's CAPTAIN, and command his (or her) own ship. In Canada, this takes many years of training at sea and ashore in order to gain the proper qualifications to hold a Master Mariner's licence (or ON1/CN1 if working on the Great Lakes). For smaller vessels such as ferries and tugs the qualifications to become a Captain take a lot less time but still require experience.
Naturally, you will have to start at the bottom and work your way up to Captain. The starting level is either as ordinary seaman or officer cadet. A cadet starts a very structured program and has a lot more to learn over a shorter period of time then an ordinary seaman does, but it is the fastest way to becoming an officer (and eventually Captain). Once a cadet has completed their program of study (or the seaman has gained enough experience and courses) they can attempt their first licence. This is called a Watchkeeping Mate, Ship (WKMS) ticket in Canada and qualifies the holder as a Second Officer home trade or a Third Officer foreign going (outside Canada). The higher licence levels for foreign going are the First Mate, Intermediate Voyage (FMIV) for Second Officer, then Master Intermediate Voyage (CIV) for Chief Officer, and finally Master Mariner (which is as high as you can go) for Captain. A person working solely in Canada may go another route which covers only coastal navigation and navigation on inland waters (ie. the Great Lakes). These licences are known as Local Voyage licences. However, I recommend following the foreign going route as it will give you the highest levels of qualification and as a result greater employment options.
Along with a good understanding of general studies such as
math, physics, chemistry, computers, electrotechnology and
communication skills, a person in Nautical Science learns about: There is a lot to learn in Nautical Science, but take heart,
it is all very interesting and can be assimilated and
comprehended over time. And no matter how long you serve at sea
there is always something more to learn. This is truly the world's most international occupation. You
are exposed to so many different languages, ways of doing things,
climates, plants, animals, food, weather that I couldn't possibly
list them all. If you have an open mind you will gain a greater
knowledge and experience then anything you could learn in school.
You may have a chance to visit some of the more interesting
and remote places in the world not easily accessed by the average
person. Places that you would never have considered visiting
before will become part of your life. Best of all, your paid to
travel to these far off continents, meet the many different
nationalities, and try their exotic foods. I have been to places like Greenland, Norway,
Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Malta, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, the
Caribbean, South Africa, Egypt, Morroco, Nigeria, Qatar, Iran, United Arab Emerites, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand, the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia and of
course all over Canada. I look
forward to seeing many more countries as my career progresses. People from every part of the world and of every race, colour
and creed go to sea. Men, women and teens find employment on the
high seas. A ship's crew could have as many as ten different
nationalities working on board. I personally have worked with
Norwegian, Australian, American, British, Irish, Croatian, Greek, Pakistani,
Indian, French (Canadian), Filipino, Nigerian, South African, and Barbadian
officers or crew. I have friends and people I know all over the
world (so when I go on vacation I usually have somebody to
visit with). Like most careers these days it is necessary to get a good
education specific to the field. For example, in Canada, the best way to become a deck officer in the Canadian Merchant Marine
is to enroll in a four year cadet programme at one of the marine training
institutes. This requires going to school for three years and to
sea for one year as a deck cadet. If interested you should contact a marine training institution
near you for specific information on the programs they offer. You can do a cadetship at the Fisheries
and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (Marine Institute). I graduated in
1995 with a Diploma of Technology in Nautical Science from this
very place. The Marine Institute campus is located in St. John's,
Newfoundland, Canada. I also attended the British Columbia Institute of Technology's Marine Campus in North Vancouver for my Master's Licence, receiving an Advanced Diploma in 2003, and in 2006 I completed my Bachelor of Maritime Studies Degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
There are other schools offering similar programs as the Marine
Institute and they can be found in most maritime nations. You can do a quick search by clicking here to find them. You also need to consult your own government
about merchant marine licencing requirements for the country in
which you reside. Each nation has its
own regulations governing merchant marine licencing however most comply with the International Maritime
Organization's requirements under STCW 95. The convention establishes an international standard for seafarer training and sea time. Things such as eyesight, medical/physical fitness, specific training courses, education for ships officers and crew are governed by each sovereign country. You need to find out if your eye
sight and medical fitness as well as educational background are sufficient for
the training program you wish to enroll in. There is no point in doing the
training if you can not meet the minimum medical requirements for the licence!
In Canada, you need to pass a seafarer's medical from a Transport Canada
recognized doctor and an eyesight test (for acuity and colour blindness). Upon
graduation from a cadet program (and if you pass all your
Transport Canada exams) you also sit an oral examination in front of a Transport
Canada marine examiner who determines if you are competent to hold a
Canadian marine watchkeeping certificate. For the various
regulations and requirements click on Marine
Certification Regulations. It is possible to obtain higher degrees of education in nautical science and the maritime field. You can start with a
diploma from a technical school or a bachelor degree from a university. Later you can move up to a
Masters degree in Marine
Management, Ship Transportation or other such similar programs.
Later still you could get a doctorate if you wanted to (become a Doctor Captain!). Now that I have my
Bachelor's degree I could get a Master in Marine
Management degree at Dalhousie
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia or perhaps a Master
of Business Administration (Maritime and Logistics Management) degree at the
Australian Maritime College in Tasmania. The very first thing you should do is find out if you actually like
working on ships and going to sea. Try and find a program or
group that will let you go aboard a ship and learn some of the
elementary skills of seamanship and navigation. If you are young
enough you could join Sea Cadets, Sea Scouts or enroll in a Sail
Training program. For older persons, you could go on a sail
training excursion, join groups like the Canadian Power Squadron
or find a friend who owns a boat. This will give you a feel for
the job and prevent you from starting something that may not
actually suit you. If you have any questions about Nautical Science in general or
in the Canadian Merchant Marine you can e-mail me from my main page. Best of Luck! To view pictures of some of the ships and vessels I have been
on, please go to ME AND MY
SHIPS. Last Updated: 15 October 2008
A North Atlantic storm from the Bridge window.
What do you learn in Nautical Science?
Me (as a new Third Officer) on the bridge with an Aldis signal lamp
(for sending Morse code).
Join the Merchant Marine and see the world!
I picture of me in Australia on shore leave to see the sights.
The Filipino helmsman deciding if he is going to listen to my orders.
English deck cadet in the background making himself useful as a lookout.
How to become an Officer in the Merchant Marine.
The Tallship Rose (one of the ship's I worked on as a sailing trainer) off the U.S. east coast in 1995.
The day I received my Bachelor of Maritime Studies Degree from Dr. Peter Fisher (standing on right).
