DG Shipping Issues Seat Booking SOP for MEO Written Exams
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DG Shipping) in Mumbai has issued a standard operating procedure for marine engineers who cannot get a written examination seat at their parent Mercantile Marine Department (MMD). The notice, dated 2 November 2026 and posted on the DGMA website on 3 November, applies mainly to candidates for the Marine Engineer Officer (MEO) Class IV and Class II Certificates of Competency.
Seat booking will now run in two phases. In Phase 1, the first six days of the booking window, candidates can book written and oral seats only at their parent MMD. In Phase 2, the last two days, cross-centre booking at another MMD opens, but only when the parent MMD has no written seats left for that subject.
The facility covers written papers only. A candidate who has booked the oral but not the written can sit the written at another centre without transferring the application. Candidates who booked some written papers but not others cannot use the facility that month. Each monthly cycle is single-centre, split-centre bookings are blocked, and fees are forfeited if one is attempted. Seats are first come, first served, and Phase 1 bookers cannot switch centres later. DGMA also advises candidates not to pay twice for the same subject.
The change should help engineers at busy MMDs, who often miss out on seats and lose a month. Candidates will benefit from planning around the two-phase window and reading the rules carefully to avoid losing fees.
Disclaimer: This news brief is a simplified summary for general information only. For full details, readers should refer to the official DGMA Notice to MEO Class II and Class IV Written Examination Candidates (2 November 2026) and should always check the current information from that source before making any decision. CrewMirror and its owners and operators will not be responsible for any loss or damage caused by the use of information published on CrewMirror pages and posts.
