Difference between Navy and Merchant Navy

Those who aim to go in marine services seldom get confused between Navy and Merchant Navy. And even some candidates consider both the jobs the same but it is not. There are a large number of differences between both the jobs.

If you are choosing your career in maritime then you must clear your doubt or confusion between these services. Both the jobs give high honour, prestige with handsome salary. There might be some merits and demerits of both the services but at last, it depends on one's choice and interest.

A merchant navy stands for transporting goods and people from one place to another while the Navy stands for protecting its ocean border from invaders. If someone wants to give his services in the ocean then he can give through the Navy and merchant navy.

So, let's see some differences between both the Jobs-

1. The basic difference between Navy and merchant navy

If I talk about the Navy, then it belongs to maritime military arms of any Nation'. This is the force that controls the borders of their respective Nations in the ocean via Naval ships. Almost every nation has its own rules & regulations for its naval forces.

So, if someone chooses the Navy as his career then he would get a chance to protect his Nation's boundaries of the ocean and will have to face enemies at the time of war. It is never an easy job because it involves a high risk to life and needs to face enemies. But This job will get him respect, honour, pride and confidence for serving his nation.

While if I talk about the Merchant Navy, it may simply be defined as commercial ocean/marine services. In this service shipping of people to their respective destination and shipping of goods like Cars, raw material, oil, iron, container, mobiles and cargo is included.

Merchant navy is spread throughout the country & world so, it cannot be native to any particular nation. According to one report, 90-95% of goods are transported by merchant navy.

It has to follow some sort of rules & regulations set by Govt. to keep things stable. It is also known as a commercial form of sea career as it shifts people & other goods from one place to another via sealine.

2. Criteria for eligibility

For enrolling in the navy & merchant navy one must know about the eligibility criteria. Those who are interested in the merchant navy should have a subject like Physics, Maths, Chemistry in high school. And those who are willing to apply for a higher position then they should complete their graduation in science.

And one most important requirement for naval services is that candidate must be a citizen of that nation. And this requirement differs between both navy and merchant navy. Almost every country organizes their exams for choosing a candidate. And other things like fitness, a medical checkup of a person is also required.

3. Incentive/ Salary-

In the Navy, the pay scale varies from nation to nation and is decided by the country's rules & regulations. In the navy, it also depends on the grade of the officer and his experiences. With this, Navy uniform and job give a kind of respect and pride which cannot be achieved easily.

In every field salary is the most discussed or concerned topic among the candidates. If I talk about the merchant navy then its pay scale depends on some sort of the standard by ILO (International Labour Organization) and ITF (International Transport workers' Federation).

In the merchant navy Pay scale depends on the grade of a job and with this, a candidate also gets a good and desirable salary with awesome life on ships. The merchant navy also contributes to the economy of the nation because their work is to transfer vessels to different parts.

4. Rank for services

Both Navy and Merchant navy services need lots of hard work, discipline, dedication, commitment and most important patriotism (especially in the Navy). In the Navy, services begin with the lieutenant and the further keeps raising. In every country services of the navy are different as per their laws. Jobs in the navy comes with great honour, prestige and responsibilities of the nation.

While in the merchant navy their services can be found on the deck of ships or in the technical department or pertaining area etc. Candidate can join among these jobs as per his skills, knowledge & aptitude. The ranking also depends on which type of ship candidates are working or company type.

Remember, both services should not be compared. They both are a vital part of marine which are working separately. One works as a defence force and another for transporting goods & vessels.