For years there was a shortcut. Pay for five short safety courses, wait a few weeks, and walk away with a Continuous Discharge Certificate, the CDC that every Indian seafarer needs. Agents sold it in small towns as the quick way to a job at sea, and many families paid for it with borrowed money.
That shortcut is closed. DGS Order 12 of 2026, issued on 23 May 2026 by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (the new name for DG Shipping), stopped CDCs based only on those five courses from 1 August 2026. If you are planning a career at sea, or someone is trying to sell you a “CDC package” right now, this is what you need to know. Everything below comes from the order itself, checked on 7 November 2026.
| Before 1 August 2026 | From 1 August 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Five basic STCW courses alone | Enough to apply for a CDC | Not enough for a CDC |
| Pre-sea training + five STCW courses | Accepted | Accepted, and now the main route for freshers |
| Institutes advertising “5 courses = CDC” | Common | Told to stop, with possible suspension of approval |
| GP Rating upper age limit | 25 years | 28 years |
| GP Rating seats | Open to all eligible candidates | 25% reserved for candidates with certain trade qualifications |
The five basic STCW safety courses are Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF), Elementary First Aid (EFA), Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR), and Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties (STSDSD).
These courses still matter. Every route to a CDC still includes them. What has ended is getting a CDC with only these courses. In the order’s own words, issuing a CDC “based solely on completion of the five basic STCW courses” is discontinued. Our CDC guide explains what the document is and why you need it.
From 1 August 2026, DGS Order 12 of 2026 allows Indian CDCs only for these groups, and every one of them must also complete the five basic STCW courses:
| Route | Who it covers |
|---|---|
| Pre-sea training | Candidates who complete a pre-sea course approved by the Director-General |
| Agniveers | Candidates with an Agniveer discharge certificate |
| Hospitality | Hotel management or hospitality graduates and diploma holders who complete the approved Orientation Course for Catering Personnel (OCCP). In exceptional cases, staff hired through approved cruise recruiters get a CDC valid only for cruise and passenger ships |
| Ex-Indian Navy | Retired Indian Navy officers or sailors with a valid discharge certificate |
| Certified cooks | Holders of a Cook Certificate of Competency issued or recognised by the Government of India |
| CoC holders | Holders of any Certificate of Competency issued or recognised by the Government of India |
For a young person starting from scratch, that means one thing in practice: an approved pre-sea course, such as GP Rating, DNS, B.Sc Nautical Science, GME or ETO, followed by the five STCW courses.
The order is unusually frank about the reasons, and they are hard to read. It says agents had been luring young people from remote and poorer regions with false promises, charging heavily for “long-duration pre-sea training”, keeping them in lodges for months, and then enrolling them only in the short courses.
It also gives numbers, which it attributes to its own records and to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF):
Behind each of those numbers is a family that spent money it could not easily spare, and a young person who waited for a call that never came. That is why we welcome this rule, even though it makes the entry path longer.
Section 17 of DGS Order 12 of 2026 is clear on two points:
But a CDC is not a job. If you got yours through the five-course route and have not found a ship, please be careful with anyone who now asks for more money to “guarantee” placement.
The same order made two changes to GP Rating, the most common entry route for Class 10 and Class 12 students:
So if you have an ITI certificate, it now counts for more. Our GP Rating course page explains the route, and our guide to the SCI MTI GP Rating course shows how one institute applies these rules.
The order tells every approved institute to stop advertising or offering the five standalone courses as a route to a CDC, and warns of suspension or withdrawal of approval. So from 1 August 2026, anyone selling you “5 courses + CDC” is either out of date or breaking the rules. Watch for:
Check any institute on the DG Shipping approved list before you pay. Our guide shows how to verify a DG Shipping approved institute step by step.
It is longer than the old shortcut. It is also the route that actually leads to a ship. If you would like help choosing the right pre-sea course, or preparing for its entrance exam, talk to us at Officers Maritime Academy in Dehradun.
A: No. DGS Order 12 of 2026 stopped CDCs based only on the five basic STCW courses from 1 August 2026. You now also need an approved pre-sea course, or to belong to another listed group such as Agniveers, ex-Navy personnel or CoC holders.
A: Yes. The order says CDCs issued before it came into force remain valid, and applications filed before 1 August 2026 are processed under the earlier rules.
A: Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF), Elementary First Aid (EFA), Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR), and Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties (STSDSD).
A: DGS Order 12 of 2026 raised the upper age limit for DG-approved GP Rating courses to 28 years from 1 August 2026. The SC/ST relaxation under Training Circular 04 of 2014 continues.
A: Yes, if they complete the approved Orientation Course for Catering Personnel (OCCP) and the five basic STCW courses. Staff hired through approved cruise recruiters may get a CDC limited to cruise and passenger ships.
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