Merchant Navy Deck Officer (Nautical Science)

Keeping the ship's navigation watch on the bridge, planning the route, using charts and electronic navigation, overseeing loading and unloading of cargo, ship stability, safety drills and fire-fighting gear, and looking after the crew. Senior officers handle ship management and paperwork. The captain is in overall command.

A day in the work
A deck officer usually stands a four-hour watch twice a day, for example 4 to 8 in the morning and again in the evening. On the bridge you check the radar and electronic charts, watch for other ships, and log the ship's position. Between watches you might supervise cargo loading, check safety and fire-fighting equipment, do paperwork or run a drill. Meals, sleep and phone calls home all fit around the watch roster, and in port the work gets busy and irregular.

1. Step 1 · Class 11–12Take Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Aim for at least 60% in PCM and 50% in English in Class 10 or 12. Many companies prefer higher PCM marks, around 70% (reported). Get your eyes and colour vision checked early, because failing the sea medical stops this path.
2. Step 2 · Class 12 (before or just after boards)Apply for IMU-CET, which is compulsory for B.Sc Nautical Science and DNS at DG Shipping approved institutes (reported). It is held once a year. Make an Indian passport now, because colleges will not admit you without one. Also get a medical certificate from a DG Shipping-approved doctor. (reported — check with the official body)
3. Step 3 · 1 to 3 yearsStudy at a DG Shipping approved institute, picked by your IMU-CET rank. The B.Sc is 3 years. The DNS is a 1-year residential pre-sea course, and for DNS you need a sponsorship letter from a shipping company (reported). Check that the institute is on DG Shipping's approved list before paying any fee.
4. Step 4 · About 12–18 months at seaJoin a ship as a deck cadet. Official DG Shipping career pages list pre-sea training, 18 months of structured cadet sea time, and the required STCW courses for the Second Mate exam. B.Sc students are reported to need around 12 months at sea. You need a CDC before you can join, and for that you must finish an approved pre-sea course and the basic STCW safety courses (as quoted by Tolani Maritime Institute).
5. Step 5 · Second Mate (Foreign-Going) CoCPass the written exams and orals held by DG Shipping at its MMD centres in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. You then work as a watchkeeping officer, usually starting as Third or Second Officer.
6. Step 6 · Chief OfficerAfter more sea time as a watchkeeping officer, clear the Chief Mate CoC, which has two phases. You become the captain's deputy, in charge of cargo, stability and crew safety. The draft 2025 rules ask for at least 18 months of approved sea service as a Second Mate; check the final rules, as the details may change. (reported — check with the official body)
7. Step 7 · Master (Captain)DG Shipping's career page says the Master (Foreign-Going) exam needs 36 months of approved sea service, including at least 12 months as Chief Officer. Many officers take 10 to 15 years or more to reach this point.

• B.Sc Nautical Science (3 years)A full degree in 3 years through IMU-CET, then about 12 months at sea (reported) and the Second Mate exam. Sponsorship by a shipping company is not compulsory at the start (reported), and the degree is useful if you ever leave the sea.
• Diploma in Nautical Science (1 year, sponsored)A 1-year residential pre-sea course, then 18 months of cadet sea time, and you get the Second Mate CoC and a B.Sc (Applied Nautical Science) from IMU. It is the faster route, but you need a shipping company's sponsorship (reported).
• DNS after a science or engineering degreeGraduates in B.Sc (Physics, Maths, Chemistry or Electronics with Physics) or B.E./B.Tech can also join DNS, if they had PCM in Class 12 and meet the marks and age limits. Check the current IMU notice for exact rules.

Fees from: Indian Maritime University: fee structure (older official PDF) · HIMT College: B.Sc Nautical Science fees 2026-27 (reported) · HIMT College: DNS fees 2026-27 (reported). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay depends on your rank, the type of ship and the shipping company, and it rises steadily as you get higher certificates; cadets and junior officers earn far less than chief officers and captains.

Women get 2 more years on the age limit than men in each category, and SC/ST students get a 5% relaxation in PCM marks, not in English (reported, from IMU-linked college pages for 2026). The sea medical is strict for everyone, and no relaxation for colour blindness was found in the rules we checked.

• Class 7–9Learn to read a map and find places using latitude and longitude. Try finding the route a cargo ship would take between Mumbai and Rotterdam on a free online map.Open link ↗
• Class 10–12Visit an eye doctor and get your eyesight and colour vision checked this month. Then read the eligibility rules on the DG Shipping page to see what you need in marks and medical fitness.Open link ↗
• College or afterRead DG Shipping's deck officer career roadmap and write down each certificate, exam and sea-time period from Second Mate to Master, so you can plan the years ahead.Open link ↗

• Only DG Shipping approved institutes count. A course at an unapproved institute will not give you a valid CDC or a path to sea time, so check the DG Shipping list before paying any fee.
• Age limits (reported via IMU-affiliated college pages for 2026): minimum 17. Maximum for men is 25 (General), 28 (OBC-NCL) or 30 (SC/ST). Women get 2 years more in each category. The age is counted on a reference date set each year.
• You must be unmarried to join at most institutes (reported).
• Eyesight and colour vision are strict. College pages quote 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the other without glasses, and no colour blindness. If you wear glasses or lenses, check this before you plan the path.