Marine Logistics - Career

As long as man is inclined to trade, a marine logistician will never go out of business

An MBA in marketing and international business, Bharadwaj has gathered information about and remains updated on all the major destinations (read ports) in the world where he ships his clients' goods.

The importance of marine logistics can be evaluated in the context of other forms of transportation for the movement of goods ­ via rail, road, air and pipeline. “The choice of mode of transportation is a function of the costs involved and time factors.

In the international context, there is, however, a limitation in terms of the use of surface transportation, as rail and road movement across international borders is subject to the geo-political environment. Air transportation, on the other hand, is costly.

“In this given context, shipping or marine logistics offers the best option of moving goods at an economical cost.

The scope of work The scope of work in this field is varied. “It varies from managing ships to managing the ports, to marketing of many related services.

The scope of work includes meticulous planning, operation and management of terminals, safe transportation of cargo from one point to another (completing port and customs formalities), loading/ unloading of cargo etc.“

With the number of Indian companies engaged in international business increasing, the need to export as also to import goods is on the rise.

Add to this the entry of multinational companies, which has increased the demand for maritime services because some of these companies either import inputs for the production process or trade, or export goods sourced from India.

“The services of marine logistics are employed by firms which deal in diverse products like steal, auto, petroleum, engineering goods, food grains, chemicals, etc,“ says Nandi. And a marine logistician plays a crucial role in ensuring that the goods originating in one country reach another country within the committed time period. “Therefore we must acknowledge their contribution in the smooth conduct of international trade.

The future prospects The importance of the shipping industry in India can be gauged from the fact that the sea accounts for the bulk of the country's international cargo movement. “Maritime trade plays a very large role in India's international freight movement -as much as 90 per cent.

And the future looks bright. “With the gross registered tonnage of the shipping industry in India expected to reach 15 million by 2012, the industry is going to witness tremendous growth in the coming years. The demand for marine personnel is increasing. “The growth in remuneration of personnel in the marine sector in the last four-five years by almost 200-300 per cent indicates the rising demand for marine personnel across the board. “And India is well placed because of excellent education and training facilities it has.“ The manpower There is, however, a shortage of readily employable skilled personnel in the field. There are more generalists than specialists in the market.

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