A few months ago, the Maritime Industry Authority- STCW Office (MARINA STCW) posted a job opening in their website for Board of Deck Ratings (BODRA) and Board of Engine Ratings (BOERA).

This is a good opportunity for ratings who want to take some time off their seagoing service and pursue a shift in their career under the wings of MARINA.

But before jumping in the bandwagon and file your application requirements, you should check the small notes below and determine if this is really what you want to do.

1. MARINA has been “under fire” with scandals, criticisms and hard issues.
   This is not new to every seafarer. There are complaints heard on various social media platforms from countless seamen who had unpleasant experiences while processing their certificates in MARINA. Working in MARINA also means facing those issues. Are you ready to ride the storm?

2. People (or seafarers in particular) tend to “generalize” the situation.
Since MARINA has a negative image to seafarers, they are inclined to see all the people working in there as incompetent or corrupt. But this is not really the actual case. A few rotten fruit from a tree does not necessarily mean that the tree itself is bad. There are still people working in MARINA who desire a genuine change and service to the seafarers. Will you be willing to be one of the few good people who do their job with honesty and faithfulness?

3. Seafarers see MARINA as a business, not as an “Arm” that uplift our maritime industry.
When something is seen as a business entity, guess what you call the people behind them? Businessmen! And when you are a businessman, guess what some people think about you? Greedy money maker. With all the training and certifications implemented by MARINA, seafarers see it as another tool to milk their pockets. There are even scandals leaking about “under the table transactions”.

Those are the main concerns on what you should think about before applying for a position in MARINA. Though we had seen improvements over the past few years, there is still much that is needed to be done.

If you want a genuine change to our maritime industry with a sincere desire to help put us back in the nautical map, all those negative issues will only serve as a challenge. If your sense of contribution outweighs your own personal interest, you are one of the very few people our maritime industry urgently needs.

We thank those who work in MARINA with virtue and sincerity. Take note that salary and company perks are not discussed here. This is a battle of integrity on your part.

Are you still interested in applying for a position in MARINA?

May the winds be on your favor.