{"id":2175,"date":"2026-07-22T06:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indosearch.in\/learn\/?p=2175"},"modified":"2026-07-23T06:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T06:27:18","slug":"second-mate-fg-course-for-deck-ratings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indosearch.in\/learn\/second-mate-fg-course-for-deck-ratings\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Mate FG Course for Deck Ratings: Full Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ask any Deck Rating who has spent three years at sea what comes next, and you’ll usually hear some version of the same answer: a long, expensive detour overseas. For as long as most Indian seafarers can remember, moving from rating to officer meant boarding a flight to a foreign training academy, paying tuition in foreign currency, and hoping the certification would translate smoothly back home. That quiet cost never shows up in a brochure \u2014 and it’s exactly the gap DGMA’s<\/a> new Second Mate FG course for Deck Ratings <\/a>has been designed to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DGS Circular 26 of 2026 isn’t just another line added to India’s maritime training calendar. It addresses a career bottleneck that has existed for years: sea-going Deck Ratings had, in practice, one dependable route to officer rank \u2014 NWKO (NCV) \u2014 and even that often meant training abroad. From July 2026, they get a second option: a structured, India-based, STCW-compliant six-month course that leads to the same Second Mate (FG)<\/a> examination, minus the passport stamps and the foreign tuition bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who actually stands to benefit? Mainly, Deck Ratings and Deck Cadets<\/a> who have already logged their sea time and are ready to move up but were priced out of the overseas route. Indirectly, it benefits Indian MTIs<\/a>, who now have a new course to offer, and the wider shipping industry, which gains a faster, more predictable pipeline of homegrown navigating officers. This guide walks through exactly who qualifies, what the six months actually involve, how the route compares with NWKO, which documents and steps stand between you and admission, and \u2014 because paperwork trips up more candidates than the syllabus ever does \u2014 how to avoid the mistakes that cost people an entire training cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why This Course Matters for Indian Seafarers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every regulatory circular has a story behind it, and this one isn’t hard to read. For years, a Deck Rating aiming for officer rank had one dependable path: NWKO (NCV), historically pursued through institutes abroad. It worked, but it wasn’t cheap or quick \u2014 flights, visas, foreign tuition, and unfamiliar exam boards all added friction to what should have been a straightforward next career step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DGMA<\/a>‘s own reasoning, laid out in the circular, points to exactly this: a meaningful number of Indian Deck Ratings were spending heavily to train overseas for certification that Indian training infrastructure is now fully capable of delivering. That’s a quiet but significant acknowledgment \u2014 India’s maritime training sector has matured enough to bring this pathway home, and DGMA is betting that domestic MTIs<\/a> can deliver the same STCW<\/a>-standard outcome without the overseas price tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a bigger industry story here too. India already supplies close to 12% of the world’s seafarers, with the government publicly targeting a 20% share in the years ahead. Officers, not ratings, are where career security and long-term earning potential really sit \u2014 so any bottleneck that keeps capable Deck Ratings from crossing into officer roles is, in effect, a bottleneck on India’s entire maritime workforce ambitions. A faster, India-based route to Second Mate (FG)<\/a> status feeds directly into that push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Reality (NWKO abroad only)<\/strong><\/td>What Changes With This Course<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Training tied to foreign institutes and exam boards<\/td>Training conducted at Indian MTIs<\/a> under direct DGMA oversight<\/td><\/tr>
Overseas travel, visa, and tuition costs upfront<\/td>No foreign travel required for this specific pathway<\/td><\/tr>
Course quality and pacing vary by country\/institute<\/td>Fixed, STCW<\/a> A-II\/1-aligned syllabus with defined hours<\/td><\/tr>
Capable Deck Ratings priced out of officer progression<\/td>A realistically affordable route for a much wider pool of candidates<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Who Should Apply?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone reading about this course is at the same stage of their career. Here’s a practical breakdown of where different candidates stand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidate Type<\/strong><\/td>Why This Course Fits Them<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
GP Ratings who’ve completed 36 months of foreign-going sea service (incl. 6 months bridge watchkeeping)<\/td>Fully eligible to formalise officer-track progression without leaving India<\/td><\/tr>
Deck Ratings currently sailing, approaching or past the 36-month mark<\/td>Should start planning post-sea education now \u2014 timing PCME and this course sensibly<\/td><\/tr>
Deck Cadets<\/a> who completed sea time and hold an approved TAR book<\/td>Can reuse the existing TRB \u2014 just complete the bridge-watchkeeping section<\/td><\/tr>
Experienced seafarers who considered NWKO (NCV) but were deterred by cost<\/td>Now have a domestic, generally more affordable alternative worth comparing<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Who Should Not Apply Yet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as important as knowing who qualifies is being honest about who doesn’t \u2014 yet. Applying before you’re ready usually costs more time than waiting a few months and doing it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n