DGMA 2026 Circulars: The Complete Roundup for Seafarers

2026 has been a genuinely busy year for DGMA circulars — enough that keeping track of what’s changed, and what actually applies to your specific situation, has gotten harder than it should be. This roundup pulls together the year’s most significant circulars in one place, organized by theme rather than just by date, so you can scan straight to the section that matters to you.

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A quick note before we start: DG Shipping was renamed the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) under the Merchant Shipping Act 2025. All circulars below were issued under this authority — some documents still carry the “DGS” prefix in their circular numbering as a legacy naming convention, but the issuing authority is DGMA. The current official website is dgma.gov.in; the older dgshipping.gov.in domain is being retired on March 31, 2026.

Officer and rating career pathways

This group covers circulars that open up or restructure how ratings and junior officers progress through their careers — arguably the most consequential category for anyone actively planning their next few years at sea.

Circular No. 25 of 2026 — Rating to Electro-Technical Officer pathway (May 19, 2026)

DGS (EAC-ENGG) Circular No. 25 of 2026 governs Electro-Technical Rating (ETR) Certificate of Proficiency issuance and progression toward ETO. It introduces a new “Trainee ETR” entry route for GP Rating holders: complete a 10-day bridging course in basic electrical functions, and you become eligible to sail as a Trainee ETR — a rating-level designation, not an officer title. From there, further sea service and a separate pre-sea ETO course are still required to reach actual ETO status. We’ve covered this circular, and the exact multi-stage pathway it sets up, in detail separately.

Circular No. 26 of 2026 — Deck Rating to Second Mate pathway (May 19, 2026)

Issued the same day as Circular 25 but as a distinct circular, DGS Circular No. 26 of 2026 introduces a new 6-month competency course that lets experienced Deck Ratings sit for the Second Mate (Foreign Going) Certificate of Competency exam. This is a significant development for ratings who’ve built up sea time on deck and want a structured route toward officer certification without starting an officer cadetship from scratch. We’ve covered this pathway in more depth in a dedicated article.

Circular No. 50 of 2026 — ETO to MEO Class-IV pathway (August 22, 2026)

DGS (EAC-ENGG) Circular No. 50 of 2026 sets out a transition pathway allowing Electro-Technical Officers (ETOs) to move toward the MEO Class-IV Certificate of Competency — extending the engineering officer ladder further for ETOs who want to progress beyond their current certification.

Circular No. 51 of 2026 — NCV Engine Cadet Scheme (August 22, 2026)

DGS (EAC-ENGG) Circular No. 51 of 2026 lays out an NCV (Near Coastal Voyage) Engine Cadet Scheme: a pathway from GP Rating to MEO Class-IV (NCV) via a GP Rating course plus 12 months of engine cadet sea service. Notably, it also opens a new entry route for candidates who are 12th-pass in the PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) stream, without requiring an ITI certificate or diploma — potentially widening access to this pathway for a broader pool of aspirants.

Certificate validity, exams, and training requirements

This group covers changes to exam administration, certificate validity periods, and mandatory training requirements — relevant to almost every serving and aspiring officer at some point in their career.

Circular No. 13 of 2026 — Mandatory Polar Waters training (March 9, 2026)

DGS Circular No. 13 of 2026 makes Polar Waters training mandatory under STCW Regulation V/4: a Basic Polar Waters course for all navigating officers, and an Advanced Polar Waters course specifically for Masters and Chief Mates serving on ships that trade in polar waters. If you’re on a career track that could involve polar or near-polar trading routes, this is a training requirement to plan for ahead of time rather than discover late.

Circular No. 17 of 2026 — Certificate validity extensions due to regional security situation (issued around March 29, 2026)

In response to the security situation in the Middle East and West Asia, DGS Circular No. 17 of 2026 extended the validity of CoC, CoP, and STCW certificates for affected seafarers. If your certificate was nearing expiry around this period and your service or transit involved that region, it’s worth checking whether this extension applied to your specific certificate and whether any further conditions attached to it.

Circular No. 21 of 2026 — New digital exam module for CoC exams (April 30, 2026)

DGS Circular No. 21 of 2026 confirmed the launch of a new digital examination module for Merchant Navy officer CoC written and oral exams, along with a full migration of historical candidate exam data to the new system. This is a significant back-end change to how exams are administered — we’ve covered what’s confirmed (and what candidates should still verify directly with DGMA or their MMD office) in a dedicated article.

Port and shore rules

Circular No. 38 of 2026 — Shore Leave Pass rules revised (July 15, 2026)

DGS Circular No. 38 of 2026 revised Shore Leave Pass (SLP) rules for seafarers calling Indian ports: passes are now valid for use only between 0600 and 2345 daily, overall validity is capped at 7 days, extensions are available at a fee equivalent to the TLP (Transit Landing Pass) fee, and category-specific rules distinguish Indian crew from foreign crew. This is one of the more immediately practical circulars of the year for anyone whose ship regularly calls Indian ports. We’ve covered the full details separately.

Certificate of Discharge Book (CDC) eligibility

Circular No. 45 of 2026 — Revised CDC eligibility rules (July 31, 2026, effective August 1, 2026)

This is one of the most consequential circulars of the year for aspiring seafarers specifically. DGS Circular No. 45 of 2026 revises who is eligible for an Indian CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate). Previously, completing the 5 basic STCW courses alone was treated by many as sufficient grounds to pursue a CDC — this circular makes clear that is no longer the case on its own. Instead, specific eligible categories now apply, including:

• Pre-sea trainees (i.e., those who’ve completed recognized pre-sea training programs).
• Ex-Agniveers.
• Holders of hospitality or cook certification relevant to shipboard catering roles.
• Certificate of Competency (CoC) holders.
• Ex-Navy personnel, per DGS Order No. 12 of 2026.

The circular also specifies that MTI (Maritime Training Institute) fees paid are non-refundable if a candidate is later found ineligible under these categories — which makes it especially important to confirm your eligibility under the current rules before enrolling in, or paying for, any CDC-related course. If you’re newer to the field or guiding someone who is, this is the single circular from 2026 most likely to catch people off guard, precisely because the old “5 basic STCW courses” assumption is no longer sufficient on its own.

Background: broader Merchant Shipping Act 2025 rules

Separately from these seafarer-facing circulars, DGMA has also been notifying implementing rules under the Merchant Shipping Act 2025 through 2026 — for example, the Merchant Shipping Rules 2026 (which revise vessel liability limits) and the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Vessels) Rules 2026. These are worth knowing exist, but they’re primarily vessel- and ship-owner-facing rather than directly relevant to an individual seafarer’s certification, sea service, or career pathway, so we won’t overstate their day-to-day relevance here.

How to use this roundup

If you only have time to check one thing today, match your situation to the right section:

• Planning your next career step as a rating or junior officer? Start with the pathway circulars (25, 26, 50, 51).
• Have an upcoming CoC exam, or a certificate nearing expiry? Check the exam and validity circulars (13, 17, 21).
• About to sail into or out of an Indian port? Review the shore leave pass changes (Circular 38).
• Considering a CDC application, or guiding a cadet toward one? Read Circular 45 carefully before spending money on any course tied to CDC eligibility.

Each of these circulars is worth reading in full on DGMA’s own circular listing at dgma.gov.in if it directly affects your certification or career plans — this roundup is meant to help you quickly identify which ones matter to you, not to replace the primary source for decisions that carry real consequences.

FAQs

What is the single biggest DGMA circular for seafarers in 2026? There isn’t one single biggest circular — 2026 brought significant changes across several areas. The revised CDC eligibility rules (Circular No. 45 of 2026) and the new digital exam module (Circular No. 21 of 2026) are among the most broadly relevant since they affect a large number of aspiring and serving seafarers directly.

Has DG Shipping been renamed? Yes. DG Shipping is now the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) under the Merchant Shipping Act 2025. The current website is dgma.gov.in; the older dgshipping.gov.in domain is being retired on March 31, 2026.

Where can I read the full text of these DGMA circulars myself? All DGMA circulars are published on the official DGMA circular listing at dgma.gov.in. We recommend checking the primary document for any circular that directly affects your certification, sea service, or exam plans, rather than relying solely on summaries.

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