Second officers in ships - DGS eases eligibility norms

The acute shortage of marine officers has forced the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS) to allow even graduates to become second officers in ships after they undergo a six-month pre-sea training course.After the six-month pre-sea training, the candidates will have to undergo a minimum 15-month on-board training and take the prescribed written and oral examinations.

Earlier, Class XII certificates with a minimum of 60 per cent marks in physics, chemistry and mathematics were needed to undergo pre-sea training for a year and on-board training for 18 months before the exams could be taken to be eligible for the same position. "This will help generate qualified officers in a shorter period without any compromise on the quality and standards of competence," Mr J. S. Uppal, Deputy Nautical Advisor to the Union government and senior Deputy Director-General of Shipping (Technical), explained.

Science graduates with a minimum of 50 per cent marks from a recognised university, those with BE and BTech degrees from institutions recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and those who have obtained 50 per cent marks in a 4-year Bachelor of Fisheries Science (Nautical Science) course conducted by the Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical and Engineering Training and affiliated to a UGC-recognised university will now be eligible for the scheme.

All candidates must also have at least 50 per cent marks in English either at Class 10, Class 12 or undergraduate levels. The graduates must be under 25 and need to be sponsored by shipping companies, or recruitment and placement service providers registered with the DGS.