Merchant Navy

What you need to know

1. 1
   The Merchant Navy runs the world's cargo, oil, gas, container and cruise ships. It is not the Indian Navy (that is defence).
2. 2
   Three main paths: deck (navigation officers, up to Captain), engine (marine engineers, up to Chief Engineer) and ratings (crew after Class 10).
3. 3
   Pay is good and can be tax-free, but you spend months at sea, and many cadets get stuck without the onboard training they need.
4. 4
   Choose only DG Shipping-approved institutes, prefer company-sponsored seats, and never pay an agent for a ship job.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: nautical officer career path↗
• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: minimum eligibility for pre-sea courses↗

Inside this branch

• Every year: the calendar
• Jobs on a ship1 more
• How to get in3 more
• IMU-CET1 more
• Choose the right institute1 more
• Certificates1 more
• Pay and money2 more
• For girls1 more
• The honest picture1 more
• Fake agents and scams2 more

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   IMU-CET (for B.Sc Nautical Science, DNS and B.Tech Marine Engineering): registration usually February–April, exam late May or early June.
2. 2
   Company sponsorship tests and interviews are often held around the same months; check each company's notice.
3. 3
   Exact dates change every year: always check the official website before you apply.

Official sources

• imu.edu.inIndian Maritime University (IMU-CET)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• The departments

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Deck: cadet → 3rd Officer → 2nd Officer → Chief Officer → Master (Captain).
2. 2
   Engine: trainee → 4th/3rd/2nd Engineer → Chief Engineer. ETO (electro-technical officer) looks after electrical systems.
3. 3
   Ratings: deck and engine crew (GP Rating) and catering staff.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: nautical officer career path↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 4

• Official
  DG Shipping: minimum eligibility for pre-sea coursesAge and marks for B.Sc NS, DNS, B.Tech, GME, ETO, GP Rating, catering.
  Free
• Official
  DG Shipping: nautical officer career pathEntry routes, sea time, CoC ladder, indicative pay, eyesight rules.
  Free
• Official
  DG Shipping: training FAQsColour blindness rule, INDoS and CDC basics.
  Free
• Official
  Join Indian NavyA different (defence) career.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Officer courses
• After Class 10: GP Rating
• Age, eyesight and medical

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   B.Sc Nautical Science (3 years) or DNS (1 year + degree): Class 12 with 60% average in PCM and 50% English, through the CET; maximum age 25.
2. 2
   B.Tech Marine Engineering (4 years): same marks, through the CET. GME (1 year) for mechanical engineering graduates, up to age 28.
3. 3
   ETO (4 months) for electrical/electronics graduates or diploma holders.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: minimum eligibility for pre-sea courses↗
• Vaidaani roadmapBecome an Engineer→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   GP Rating (6 months): Class 10 with 40% (science and maths as subjects) and 40% English, or a 2-year ITI with 50%; age 17½–25.
2. 2
   Catering (CCMC, 6 months): Class 10 with 40%.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: minimum eligibility for pre-sea courses↗
• Vaidaani roadmapITI, Polytechnic and Skills→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Extra age: SC/ST +5, OBC +3, and women +2 more in every category.
2. 2
   Deck officers need 6/6 eyesight without glasses and no colour blindness. A DG Shipping-approved doctor must pass you before you pay any fees.
3. 3
   Institutes can ask for more than the minimum: read the prospectus.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: training FAQs↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 2

• Official
  Indian Maritime UniversityCET notice, brochure and campuses.
  Free
• Article
  Careers360: IMU-CET datesRecent schedule (check IMU for the official notice).
  Free

Inside this branch

• How the CET works

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   The Indian Maritime University runs one common entrance for all DG Shipping-approved institutes.
2. 2
   3 hours, 200 questions at Class 12 level, no negative marking; the score is valid for that year only.

Official sources

• imu.edu.inIndian Maritime University (IMU-CET)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapAfter Class 12: all choices→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 3

• Official
  DG Shipping: approved institutes (MTIs)Match the institute's name and MTI number before paying.
  Free
• Official
  DG Shipping: approved coursesConfirm the exact course is approved at that institute.
  Free
• Official
  DG Shipping Circular 1 of 2007 (PDF)Official record of cadets stuck without sea time.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Check before you pay

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Every genuine institute is on DG Shipping's approved MTI list with an MTI number, and the exact course must be on the approved course list.
2. 2
   Your career depends on onboard training (sea time). DG Shipping has recorded large numbers of cadets stuck without it; institutes must arrange it.
3. 3
   Prefer company-sponsored seats with an assured cadetship, and ask for the institute's placement record in writing.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: list of approved institutes (MTIs)↗
• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: list of approved courses↗
• betadgs.dgshipping.gov.inDG Shipping Circular 1 of 2007: cadets without sea time (PDF)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 3

• Official
  DG Shipping: training FAQsINDoS, CDC and basic safety courses.
  Free
• Official
  DG Shipping: qualifying sea service (PDF)Which ships and service count towards a CoC.
  Free
• Article
  Marine Insight: INDoS explainedPlain-language explainer.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Papers every seafarer needs

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   INDoS number: one-time, for life (about ₹1,416). STCW basic safety courses (valid 5 years) and a DG Shipping medical.
2. 2
   CDC (your seafarer identity book): valid 10 years, applied online.
3. 3
   CoC (certificate of competency) exams to rise: 2nd Mate after about 12 months of sea time (B.Sc) or 18 months (DNS), then Chief Mate, then Master; engineers go from MEO Class IV up to Class I.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: training FAQs↗
• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: nautical officer career path↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• Pay
• Costs and scholarships

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   DG Shipping's indicative monthly pay: cadet ₹25,000–50,000, 3rd Officer ₹1.2–2 lakh, Chief Officer ₹3.5–5.5 lakh, Master ₹5–8 lakh+. It varies by company and ship.
2. 2
   GP ratings earn less (about ₹25,000–60,000, reported). If you are outside India for more than 182 days in a year, salary on foreign ships is usually not taxed in India (reported).

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Courses at private institutes often cost several lakh rupees: get a written fee list and compare with IMU.
2. 2
   Girls get a ₹1 lakh scholarship from DG Shipping for pre-sea courses at approved institutes.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: scholarship for women seafarers↗
• Vaidaani roadmapScholarships for every stage→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 3

• Official
  DG Shipping: scholarship for women seafarers₹1 lakh per woman on a pre-sea course at an approved institute.
  Free
• Official
  Sagar Mein SammanDG Shipping's gender-inclusion initiative.
  Free
• Article
  Tribune: plan to triple women in the Merchant NavyNumbers and incentives (reported).
  Free

Inside this branch

• Support for women

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Women are still only about 2–3% of Indian seafarers, and the government wants to grow that fast (reported).
2. 2
   DG Shipping's Sagar Mein Samman initiative works on recruitment, safety and mentoring; rules ban gender discrimination and provide maternity benefit.
3. 3
   The ₹1 lakh scholarship and +2 years of age relaxation help; some companies fully sponsor women cadets (reported).

Official sources

• dgma.gov.inSagar Mein Samman (women in shipping)↗
• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: scholarship for women seafarers↗
• Vaidaani roadmapFor girls: every scheme→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Inside this branch

• What to know

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Months away from family, hard shift work and strict medicals that must be renewed.
2. 2
   Without sponsorship, some cadets wait a long time for sea time. Have a backup plan.
3. 3
   Later, you can move ashore: ports, ship management, surveying, teaching, or government examiner posts (with a senior CoC). The Indian Navy is a separate defence career.

Official sources

• joinindiannavy.gov.inJoin Indian Navy (a different career)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapJoin the Defence Forces (Indian Navy)→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Official
  DG Shipping advisory to seafarers (PDF)Never pay for jobs; keep your passport and CDC safe.
  Free
• Official
  Valid and suspended recruitment agencies (RPSL)Check any agent's name and number yourself.
  Free
• Official
  Blacklisted companiesCompanies barred by DG Shipping.
  Free
• Official
  e-Navik 24x7 grievance redressalToll-free 1800-889-7768; WhatsApp +91 8655856830.
  Free
• Official
  PIB Fact CheckCheck fake notices.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Red flags
• Get help

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Never pay for a job on a ship. Licensed recruitment agencies (RPSL) are not allowed to charge seafarers recruitment fees.
2. 2
   Don't give your passport or CDC to unknown people, and don't accept job offers on WhatsApp or social media. Indian seafarers have been stranded abroad by fake agents.
3. 3
   Check every agency yourself on DG Shipping's RPSL list.

Official sources

• dgshipping.gov.inDG Shipping advisory to seafarers (PDF)↗
• dgma.gov.inDG Shipping: valid and suspended recruitment agencies (RPSL)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   DG Shipping's e-Navik 24x7 helpline: toll-free 1800-889-7768, or WhatsApp +91 8655856830, for complaints and seafarers in trouble.
2. 2
   If someone is stranded abroad, also contact the nearest Indian embassy.

Official sources

• dgma.gov.ine-Navik 24x7 helpline and complaints↗
• pib.gov.inPIB Fact Check↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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