DG Shipping sea service, CoC and CDC: a guide for Indian seafarers

DG Shipping is now DGMA

The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 came into force on 15 March 2026 and replaced the 1958 Act. Under it the Directorate General of Shipping became the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) in June 2026, with its site at dgma.gov.in. Many circulars and forms still say “DGS” or “DG Shipping”: they mean the same office.

Examinations and certificates are handled by the Mercantile Marine Departments (MMD) in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and their offices. The STCW rules made under the old Act are being replaced by new rules under the 2025 Act; until the new text is in force, follow the current DGMA circulars.

Online services are moving from the old e-Governance portal to e-Samudra. Competency examinations moved first (DGS Circular 21 of 2026); new CDC services followed in October 2026. Keep your mobile number and e-mail correct in your profile so the migration finds you.

How sea service is recorded and proved

The STCW definition applies: a month is a calendar month, or 30 days made up of shorter periods. DGMA has not published its own day-by-day formula, so count your days on board from your documents and treat the MMD’s assessment as the final figure.

Your sea service lives in two places that must agree:

• the CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate), signed by the Master at every sign-off;
• the e-Governance record, where the company or RPSL agency enters your sign-on and sign-off. Check it after every contract under “View Sea Service and Acknowledge” and agree or disagree with each entry (DGS Crew Circular 25 of 2024).

Only sea service through agencies with an RPSL licence is recognised: service through unregistered agents is invalid and cannot be uploaded (DGS Circular 55 of 2025). A missing entry is corrected by the company through the DSEO (DGS Circular 02 of 2024), not by you. Sea service certificates from abroad need endorsement by an Indian embassy or consulate, or by the flag state, before the MMD accepts them.

Count your days and STCW months with the free sea-time calculator →

Sea service for each certificate

The figures below are the approved sea service the MMD and DGMA state for foreign-going (FG) certificates. You also need the approved courses and must pass the written and oral examinations.

From 1 January 2027 a preparatory course becomes compulsory before the MEO and ETO examinations (DGMA Circular 49 of 2026).

Revalidating your CoC

A CoC is valid for five years. If you apply within six months before it expires, the new five years run from the expiry date. To revalidate you need approved sea service in the capacity of the certificate of at least 12 months in total in the last five years, or 3 months in total in the last six months.

Without enough sea service, DGMA accepts other routes, such as shore service in an equivalent job proved by the employer’s experience certificate, or an approved course for the grade.

Deck officers also complete the 3-day revalidation training course (DGS Circular 19 of 2023); engineers complete the approved Refresher and Updating Training (RUT) course (DGS Circular 143 of 2018). The application is online with your INDoS login: you do not need to visit the MMD, and a copy of a valid medical certificate is enough.

How often each STCW certificate is revalidated →

CDC, BSID and INDoS

The CDC is valid for ten years and can be renewed online up to a year before it expires. It is the record of your sea service; your identity document is the separate BSID (Seafarer’s Biometric Identity Document), now issued as BSID 2.0 with online renewal (DGMA Circular 44 of 2026).

Who can get a new CDC changed in 2026: the five basic STCW courses are no longer enough on their own. You also need DG-approved pre-sea training or an Agniveer discharge certificate (DGS Order 12 of 2026). Existing CDCs are not affected.

INDoS is your number in the national database of seafarers. You get it through a DG-approved training institute, and your courses and sea service are linked to it. Check certificates only on the official DGMA verification page, not on look-alike sites.

Common mistakes

• Sailing through an agent without an RPSL licence: that sea service cannot be uploaded and does not count.
• Not acknowledging entries online: check “View Sea Service and Acknowledge” after every contract, while the company can still correct it.
• Direct employment by a foreign-flag owner after 1 November 2016: it does not count for revalidation (DGS Crew Circulars 04 and 05 of 2016).
• Foreign sea service letters without embassy, consulate or flag-state endorsement: the MMD rejects them.
• Missing the 6-month window: apply for revalidation within six months before expiry so the new five years start from the expiry date.
• Using a third-party calculator as the final word: calculators differ by a few days; the MMD’s assessment decides.