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Your child wants to join the Merchant Navy. Here is what it involves.

Safety, cost, time away from home and how to avoid fraud. Plain answers, with the rule behind each one.

An Indian family smiling together

Quick answers

Is it a government job?

No. The Merchant Navy is not the Indian Navy and not a government service. Seafarers work for private shipping companies, on contracts. DG Shipping, a government body, sets the training and exam rules.

Is it safe?

Ships follow strict international safety rules. Before the first voyage, every seafarer is trained in survival at sea, fire-fighting and first aid. The company your child sails with matters most, so choose it carefully.

What will it cost?

A DNS course costs ₹2.5–7 lakh, depending on the institute. Add the medical, uniform and travel. Many banks give education loans for approved courses, so ask your bank early.

How long is my child away?

A contract usually lasts 4 to 9 months, then your child comes home on leave. International rules limit one stretch on board to under 12 months.

Can we stay in touch?

Most ships now have internet for the crew, though it can be slow or limited. Calls are easier when the ship is in port.

Is a job certain after the course?

No course can promise a job. A course with a shipping company's sponsorship is the safest way to get the first ship.

Fees checked 31 October 2026, from each institute's website. Time on board: Maritime Labour Convention 2006, Standard A2.5.1.

An officer keeping watch with binoculars on a ship's bridge

What your child's first years look like

  1. Course ashore: 6 months to 4 yearsAt a DG Shipping approved institute. Length depends on the course.
  2. Training at sea: about 6 to 18 monthsAs a cadet or trainee, on a small monthly stipend, learning under officers.
  3. First certificate and first jobAfter the DG Shipping exam, your child can work as a junior officer or rating.
Read the full guide to joining

Warning signs of a fake agent

Families lose lakhs of rupees to people who promise a job on a ship. Walk away if you see any of these.

Check an institute on the DG Shipping list of approved institutes. Check an agency on the DG Shipping list of licensed recruitment and placement agencies (RPSL). Source: Merchant Shipping (Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers) Rules.

  • They ask you to pay money for a job on a ship. Licensed recruitment agencies may not charge seafarers for a job.
  • They promise a job once you pay or finish their course.
  • The institute is not on the DG Shipping list of approved institutes.
  • The agency cannot show its DG Shipping licence number.
  • They want cash, or payment into a personal bank account.

Talk to a serving officer

A short phone call for parents, at no cost. Ask anything about life at sea, training and costs. We do not sell courses and we take no money from institutes.

More questions from parents

Is the Merchant Navy the same as the Indian Navy?
No. The Indian Navy is the armed forces. The Merchant Navy is the civilian shipping industry: cargo ships, tankers and passenger ships run by private companies.
Is Merchant Navy income tax free?
An Indian seafarer who spends enough days outside India in a financial year can count as a non-resident for tax. Their pay earned at sea is then usually not taxed in India. The rules are detailed, so take advice from a tax professional.
Is it a good career for girls?
Yes. Every route is open to women on the same terms, and the number of Indian women at sea is growing. See the Merchant Navy for girls and women.
What if my child gets seasick?
Most people get used to the motion within a few days. Severe, lasting seasickness is rare. The pre-sea medical checks general fitness for life at sea.