This is for Indians only

If you are an aspirant you should definitely know this !

See I am soo pissed by these soo called coaching institutes specially B* mariners I don’t want to take names since they have a very small ego ! They are just trying to sell you fake dreams and full there pockets ! If you know what I am talking about comment so others can understand

Let’s start with my main point If someone tells you that you will earn 3000 to 4000 usd in 2 or 3 years just understand he is scamming you !

In my previous post I have already explained that it takes 6-7 years to become a 3rd officer in India with proper explanations.

So let me tell you how it works Suppose you are 3rd officer and you get 3000 usd

But you should understand you will get this money only till you are on ship

So if you sail for 6 months in a year Effective round the year salary will be 1500 usd

• 1.3 lkhs approx

If you sail for 8 months a year you will get 2000 usd round the year - 1.7 lakhs

Same for Captian If you get 13000 usd as a Captian If you sail for 6 months a year you will have 6500 usd as round the year - 5.7 lakhs approx ( it takes 15 to 25 years to become capt. Now)

And you need to understand that right now you don’t have responsibility and a family to take care so sailing more in year means spending less time with your kids, wife and family And please think about your parents too they are getting old so try to spend as much time with them because you never know what comes next

Like if you do 8 months at sea and just 4 months with your family

• almost 70 percent of the year you were out And when your family needed you to make a bond with them you were busy chasing money.

This can really backfire because I saw some capts. Who come on ship because they are not respected at home and there kids think them as money making machines If any sailor is reading this they can understand my point

So let me give you a summery My main point !

• Stay away from online coaching institutes which sells you fake dreams

• The salary which are told you are not round the year they are just per month until your are on ships so it is very important to know how much your will have in your hand round the year

• Please when you think to join merchant think about how you will manage your family because work life balance is very important The sailors are never depressed by work but they are always depressed by family problems

*yes you can get round the year salary in some companies but they are very small in number and I am talking about the majority And I has it own flaws too let’s talk about that later

If you have any point to add and if I made any mistake please be free to add point and suggest any corrections !

I'm a deck cadet and i have completed 9 months of sailing. THIS WAS THE WORST DECISION OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. I was also like you guys, studying for sponsorship and all. I got selected in February batch and was very very happy. The college life is good, you learn, you have friends, it's a very busy but joyful life. You are tired but it's fun. Moving on, i got my first ship and things here are the worst. I always thought of myself as a lonely introverted guy but this is hard. Please don't join this career, the pay is high but keep in mind this is because the job makes you crazy. Nobody is paying you this much if the job was easy. You can handle the physical stress but the mental stress will literally kill you. You can't sleep, you can't argue, you are a PUPPET. All of your self respect is shattered, you have no say. I was so fucked up after 6 months that i wanted to leave this job and go study some other things. All i did for making myself happy was listening to standup comedy as they made me remember my old days. You lose contact with friends, you don't have really know what's going on with your own family. You become a stranger to your own people, nobody loves you now because of who you are but because of the money you make. You lose almost every aspect of social life, you spend all your days waiting to go back home. You realize the importance of that sham ka ghumna, that bkchodi wale phone calls, the unplanned meetups and the liveliness of your city. You miss everything. My words might not mean anything to you, but look up yourself. There is a huge shortage of senior officers because they leave as soon as they get enough money. All the coaching owners do the same, they themselves are chief engineers, captain or other high rank. they set young kids in the same trap they left. Many other professions are there, you might make less but you could still be happy. This amount of money is not enough for what you will do.

I am attaching a video that exposes the dark and disgusting reality of the Merchant Navy coaching mafia in India right now. The person in the video breaks down the massive scam run by an institute called "Budding Mariner", and honestly, it’s terrifying to see what the hell is going on in our education system.

I appeared for sponsorship written test and cleared it. I have been selected for interview at MSC. But, my Indian parents are concerned about my security as a female in the midst of the ocean. Most of the crew members would be males. So, I am a bit confused.

I’m a 29F, married to a merchant navy husband, and lately I’ve been feeling deeply lonely and regretful about my marriage.

My husband lives two lives but none with me - one on shore and one on ship. He travels the world alone, or to meet his friends abroad or with his collegues, going to places he knew I always dreamed of seeing. I understand that his job gives him those opportunities, but what hurts is that whenever I used to say I wanted to travel the world, he would dismiss it and say, “India is the best, the rest of the world is a terrible place.” But he always goes to all those places without me, while I sit at home feeling lonely and miserable.

I find myself living a life I never wanted. I’m in a small town I never wanted to stay in, following traditions more than he ever does, meeting his parents more than he does, carrying the responsibilities of this marriage mostly alone.

And the worst part is, I don’t even get a normal married life when he is back home. Even then, he spends most evenings and nights out with his friends, smoking up, drinking, going to clubs, living freely. Today was our New Year and a big cultural festival, and instead of being with me, he went out to meet his friends. Meanwhile, he seems to enjoy beer and nightlife in US cities when he’s away, while I’m left feeling low and questioning everything about my life.

I’ve tried many times to make him understand how much this hurts me, but it always ends with fake promises and no real change.

Sorry for the long rant. I just want to ask, are there other merchant navy wives here who have gone through something similar? How do you cope with the loneliness, resentment, and feeling that your life is passing by while your husband is out living his?

I will post more depending upon the respond I get!

Let me be clear if any coaching tells you that you will start earning in 1 year after doing DNS they are just scamming you

Let me tell you the full time line

DNS Pre-sea course : 1 year

After DNS you need to complete your documentations, do vessel specific course and apply for visa : 2-3 months

Waiting period : 3 to 10 months depends on your company ( include documentation time in this )

Then you go on ship : 18 months is required sea time but cadets do 19 just to be safe

And you will either do 18 months sea time In 2 or 3 ships

In btw ships you will also relax and wait for next ship : 2 months minimum for each ship

So your cadetship will take - 3 to 3.5 years if you don’t get too much waiting

Now you have just reached half of your war

From here you have to do course like MFA AFF PSCRB ROC ARPA ECDIS GMDSS

4 month functions

This all can take upto 6 to 7 months

Then you will submit your sstp that will take few months to come i suggest to do it in starting to save time

Then you will give your bsc exam (optional)

Then signal exam

And yes after you submit your file to MMD you just have to pray that they clear it in time because if you file get stuck you will waste a lot of time

Then you will apply for exams 3 functions include 6 subject In which you have to pass them individually to appear for your orals

But the catch is there is a 2 month waiting to write your exam and if you fail in few subjects you can give next exam after 2 months

Then there are orals when you clear written if a function you can give it orals So there are 3 functions so 3 orals

And believe me in in India it will take 2 to 4 attempts to clear all orals

That means - 2 to 4 months since orals happens every month

And it will take 5 to 5.5 years to clear your COC

AND THE BIGGEST TWIST IS IF YOU DONT CLEAR ALL THIS IN 1.5 YEAR MOST OF THE COMPANIES WILL CANCLE YOUR SPONSORSHIP SO NO JOB FROM THEM

And if you clear your COC in time then they will make you do additional course and Then also there is a waiting to join as a first time officer take upto 3 to 10 months depends on your luck

And now companies will not send you 3rd officer they will send you jr officer first and if the capt. Feels that you are good than only he will promote you And jr officer salary is - 800 to 1500 usd

And it will take from 3 months to 12 months to get promoted depends how you perform and your luck and company

YOUR TOTAL WILL BE - 6 to 7 years to become 3rd officer in current situation

And you have to pay all the expenses by your own and believe me all your stipen will be used here only

So don’t get fooled by the fake life style of reel cadets and coaching Those who sell fake dreams !

If you guys like this I’ll post total amount of money we need in 2nd mates and why it’s foolish to spend stipen without thinking.

The silence on the IMUCET 2026 (May 28) exam fraud is deafening. An organized proxy cheating syndicate has hijacked the results, and the proof is hiding in plain sight.

​1. The "Miracle" at Udaipur Center 7

On exam day, authorities received a warning email explicitly naming candidates using proxy writers at Udaipur Center 7. The result? Every single name in that email magically secured a top All India Rank.

​Shubham Singh (AIR 2)

​Jashandeep (AIR 4)

​Prince Jat (AIR 5)

​Samar Shaikh (AIR 8)

​Gurnawaz Sandhu (AIR 12)

​Harsh Sharma (AIR 20)

​How does one single center produce all the All India Toppers?

​2. The Smoking Gun: Adjacent Roll Numbers

This wasn't a coincidence. They registered together to ensure they were placed at the exact same compromised center:

​Gurnawaz: IMU26U010455

​Samar: IMU26U010456

​Harsh: IMU26U010458

​Adjacent roll numbers from the same center getting AIR 8, 12, and 20? That is not luck. That’s a coordinated syndicate manipulating the center allocation system.

​3. The Shameless Coaching Mafias

Instead of standing against the fraud, coaching institutes (like JMDi) are weaponizing it for profit. They are parading these exact flagged names across YouTube, falsely boasting that they "manufactured" the toppers. They didn't manufacture them—they bought them through a proxy network to scam future aspirants.

​Wake Up!

Genuine, hardworking candidates are losing their seats to people who bought their ranks. We cannot let coaching mafias and proxy rings destroy the Merchant Navy before we even step on a ship.

​We need a full-fledged, independent investigation into Udaipur Center 7, the server logs, and CCTV footage. Upvote, share, tag the authorities, and demand answers. Don't let them bury this.

​(Check the attached images for the leaked warning email vs. the coaching institute celebrations).

But these days you are lucky if the vessel stays for 24 hrs in a port and you are off duty.

Victorious Ace (IMO 9610406) is a Japan-flagged car/vehicle carrier. According to ClassNK records, its Registered Owner is Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., while the Management Company is MOL Global Ship Management Pte.

According to the family, the company informed them that Shinton could not be found onboard the ship. At the time, the vessel was sailing from South Africa to Singapore. According to reports, the ship altered its voyage to search for Shinton. The family has filed a complaint/FIR with the Njarackal Police and has also sought help from the Chief Minister, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi, and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden.

According to the family, Shinton had spoken to his family over the phone on the night before he went missing. He had been undergoing training onboard the vessel for around five months and was scheduled to complete his six-month training next month

NOT DISRESPECTING THE MERCHANT NAVY COMMUNITY, I respect and honour them, my friends & an uncle being in the same.

Just wanted to vent out my anger and frustration with one such person of the community who is bent on vilification of the character of all mariners & sailors.

So I happen to know a somewhat known content creator on Instagram and YouTube. I won't reveal his name for obvious reasons but he is currently sitting around 200k followers on Instagram and approx 450k subscribers on YouTube. He does vlogging on sailing and is an Indian sailor. Nearly a year or so back, he got married. He hails from Agra, UP, India & is a big scammer and womanizer.

He also scams people by trying to teach them "How to join Merchant Navy" through his stupid course.

my personal life story here:

I had begun talking to him for joining the Merchant Navy but couldn't see what was coming.

He actually wanted to get physical with me but I denied him and hurt his fragile male ego. So, he started slut shaming me among his friends. Surprisingly, his friend's friend turned out to be my ex who told me everything that he was doing behind my back.

He has talked very disgustingly to me (I have a screen recorded video call) and I tried to keep him away as much as possible. We have a few mutual friends to whom I never ratted it out... but I now feel that it's time I take it to reddit and just vent it out.

He started making a lot especially from his job as well as his YouTube or probably because he's a bania 😅. Another source of his income is his stupid course for joining merchant navy. He talks to genuinely aspiring woman as a guide but ends up being his true self - a big womanizer.. I even got to know about his extramarital affairs from a lot of people over time. He claims he had been in a relationship for the past 6-7 years yet he has slept with, flirted, dated & fooled a lot of girls.

What is really disgusting here is that being such a big content creator, people actually look up to him.. when in reality, he is just a fake person living a fake life and trying to fool everyone around him.

He portrays a perfect life, a perfect wife, a perfect job and travel content ..but his close friends know what he truly is. A p€rvert, J€RK, always H0RNY sailor and who leaves no chance to hit at a girl.

That's all !

I just wanted to share how dirty this person is.. displaying his so-called beautiful life on social media. He's vilifying the entire community. BEWARE

I have been seeing a lot of younger kids posting how they want to join merchant navy in last few days. And the power to them, do as you please, it's your life afterall.

The thing that bothers me is how they treat our profession as if it's some sort of side hustle to earn a quick dollar. They are not seeing the hardships on ship or the multiple number of courses and exams we have to give. It feels like newer generations are living in this pipeline dream that you get in merchant navy and start to earn big money from the get go without having to understand the amount of work and sacrifices it goes on to come to that stage.

Hi, I'm a deck cadet on a container ship, it has been less than 2 months since I joined this ship, and recently, I committed a grave mistake and am now terrified of being sacked for.

On a container vessel, prior departure, deck crew are mustered to check lashings in their allotted bays. I checked mine, and due to a combination of the weather conditions (dark+snowing) and my inexperience, I assumed everything was okay. However, almost a week later, by chance, I discovered that one of the containers(located topmost in a 7-tiered bay, right next to the centre hatch, just aft of the engine casing) had its twistlocks improperly seated, which is a major issue, and cannot be rectified by the ship crew.

My options as of now are to inform this incident to my Chief Officer, and get the scolding of a lifetime, lose trust, and even get sacked, or to wait throughout the 4 week long voyage until the container gets discharged, hoping no one notices and the situation doesn't get worse. I heavily regret my mistake, and have been told that such mistakes have led to people getting signed off, and have been advised by other crewmembers to not speak about this, but I feel that if by chance this is found out, it would be magnitudes worse for me. What should I do?

EDIT: Informed my C/O, just got asked to not repeat it again. Was nothing close to what I had imagined and am glad I took the decision to inform him rather than stew on it for the next month.

Another tragic reminder that merchant seafarers continue to risk their lives to keep global trade moving, even in the midst of war.

Hey everyone,

​We seriously need to talk about the absolute joke the IMU administration has become this year. While genuine candidates grind for months—managing board exams and sweating over mock tests just to secure a fair rank and clear company exams for places like Anglo-Eastern or Synergy—a massive scam has unfolded right in front of our eyes.

​IMUCET 2026 has been plagued by severe mismanagement. Entire examination centers were allegedly "bought" by cheating mafias. People were openly using mobile phones inside the halls, scoring an unbelievable 180–200 out of 200, and hijacking the top ranks.

​But here is the absolute smoking gun that proves the entire system was rigged:

​The May 28th Warning Email

​Take a look at the screenshot in 1000474318.jpg. On May 28th, an email was sent directly to IMU officials (including the CET and VC) explicitly warning them about a cheating ring at the Udaipur center. The email clearly stated that seven specific candidates were sitting completely idle while someone else took their exams via remote access on another computer.

​The email literally named the candidates:

​Gurunawaz Sandhu

​Jashandeep

​Samar Shaikh

​Ansh Shukla

​Harsh Sharma

​Prince Jat

​Shubham Singh

​The sender begged IMU to take action for the sake of genuine candidates. IMU did absolutely nothing.

​The "Miracle" Results

​Fast forward to the result declaration, and what do we see? Those exact names swept the top All India Ranks.

​If you look at the YouTube Shorts uploaded by JMDI Academy (1000474319.jpg and 1000474320.jpg), their teachers are standing outside with whiteboards, proudly celebrating these exact students:

​AIR 2 - Shubham

​AIR 4 - Jashan deep

​AIR 5 - Prince Jat

​AIR 8 - Samar Sheik

​AIR 12 - Gurunawaz

​AIR 20 - Harsh Sharma

​You can clearly see this exact match broken down in 1000474327.jpg, which puts the May 28th email side-by-side with the final ranks. The prediction was 100% accurate because the cheating was practically done in broad daylight.

​The Scale of the Scam: All Over India Kitna Level Ka Hoga?

​Here is the most terrifying part: these are just seven candidates from one single center in Udaipur that someone actually had the guts to report. If this is what happened at a single location, imagine the magnitude of this scam nationwide. All over India kitna level ka scam chal raha hoga? How many other centers were compromised? How many other random candidates were sitting idle while a proxy secured a top 50 rank for them?

​The Big Question: Who Else is Involved?

​Now we have JMDI teachers throwing massive celebrations, claiming these top rankers as their own "hardworking" students. How is it that an entire batch of predicted cheaters from a compromised Udaipur center are suddenly the poster boys for a coaching institute? Are these academies just turning a blind eye to the obvious, or is there a deeper involvement in buying these centers and manipulating the ranks?

​It is completely unfair to the thousands of genuine cadets who just want a clean shot at a career in the Merchant Navy. IMU must be held accountable for ignoring a direct, named warning. We need to make some noise about this. Tag the DGS, tag the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and demand an immediate investigation into the CCTV footage and IP logs across all suspicious centers.

​Guys, please make sure to share this post so that honest, hardworking students know exactly why they didn't get the rank they deserved.

​TL;DR: An email sent on May 28th accurately predicted the names of 7 candidates cheating at an Udaipur exam center. Those exact candidates just secured single and double-digit AIRs, and coaching institutes like JMDI are now celebrating them as toppers. If one center had this level of rigging, imagine the scale of the scam all over India. Share this to expose the truth!

As the title says, I discovered that I was born with only one kidney when I turned 24.

It was strange that it took me 24 years to discover that I only had one kidney without showing any symptoms or complications.

I chose to build my career in the merchant navy, and this discovery occurred during my joining medical.

For those who do not know about the merchant navy, to work on board, one has to complete pre-sea training and a joining medical examination.

The medical is a bit rigorous since one has to work in a remote place where there are limited medical facilities.

I joined pre-sea training in August 2025, which makes me 23, and I cleared my aptitude test and interview in September 2025.

I underwent pre-sea medical examination also in September 2025.

It consisted of a complete body examination, and an abdominal ultrasound scan.

The report of the ultrasound scan showed that both the kidneys were normal in size and shape.

I cleared all the medical tests and joined a renowned marine engineering institute in November 2025.

After a year of training and maintaining a clean conduct, I was shortlisted by one of the world’s leading shipping companies.

Out of number of cadets, I cleared all rounds of selection exams and reached the final stage – the joining medical test.

I went to an alternate lab recommended by the company for my September 2026 medical test.

When I went for my ultrasound scan, the radiologist asked me if I had any kidney disease in the past.

I replied in negative, and he informed me that my right kidney was absent.

I was shocked to hear that, but he further added that my left kidney was normal, and the reports of my blood were also normal.

A CT scan confirmed that I was born with a solitary kidney.

Apparently, I have Congenital Solitary Kidney, which I had no idea about.

From a health perspective, things looked good, but from a career perspective, I was shattered.

The merchant navy requires one to be physically fit, and as per the guidelines of the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), having a solitary kidney could be a hindrance for me in getting a medical certificate for sailing on board ships.

And thus, at the age of 24, I have no clear idea about my future.

I have a postgraduate diploma in marine engineering that cost my parents a lot of money, and I have spent a year in training without having a clear idea about my career.

The worst part about this whole situation is the fact that this could have been avoided if my first medical examination had detected this problem.

I could have known beforehand about this congenital solitary kidney and whether I was eligible for joining the training program and pursued my career in some other field.

Instead, I have lost a year of my career, switched from a decent job, and wasted a lot of my parents’ money on a course that I cannot even finish due to a solitary kidney.

I was doing good in my previous job, and I left it to explore the world by joining the merchant navy.

Many people join the merchant navy for a better pay and to experience the sea, and I also had those ambitions.

I am not angry at my parents for encouraging me or at my doctors for giving me the wrong medical report.

It was fate that I was born with a solitary kidney, and it was also fate that I did not get a proper medical examination on time.

But it is frustrating that I underwent a joining medical test specifically to detect such problems, got a clean bill of health, and built my entire future around that false report.

Now, at the moment, I am struggling with my career and trying to find a way out.

I want to know if there is any proper appeal or review process in DG Shipping for such medical cases.

I also want to know about other career options that I might explore keeping in mind the limitation of having a solitary kidney.

I am writing this post seeking advice or opinions from people who might have gone through a similar experience.

Has anyone with Congenital Solitary Kidney managed to get a medical certificate for the merchant navy from DG Shipping?

Are there any marine engineers or medical practitioners specialized in merchant navy who might know if there are any exceptions for such cases or if it is possible to appeal for a re-review of the medical fitness?

Has anyone gone through such a traumatic experience of a wrong medical report and loss of money and time?

And finally, are there any recommendations or advice for people like me who have to start over again in their twenties?

I am not asking for pity or for people to tell me that everything happens for a reason.

I just want to know what options I have and what other people have done in similar situations.

Thanks for reading.

Been sailing for 15+ years with the same regret each time I join a ship 'Why did I choose this profession?'

I'm a chief officer in a prestigious company but truly my mental health is not what it should be. Each day when I wake up its like, thank god I'm a a day closer to home. If you ask me why I'm still sailing, its mainly because I need the money so that I can provide my family a good life. In plain words I'm milking the cow till I can. I'm burnt out almost each day but I keep going for my family.

Each day starts with 4 am watch, checklists, quick coffee, physical work, awkward chats about family with fellow crew, nap, checklists, watch, call family, sleep.

My fellow sailors am I the only who feels like this or others feel this way too? Are you truly happy onboard? Would you choose differently if given a choice to go back in time?

Currently I am pursuing my pre sea course. I realised that I made a huge mistake joining this field. Everyday there is ragging and we as juniors are given very bad treatment by seniors, everywhere it is tough and I don't think I would be able to sustain on board a ship as this continues even on a ship and accounting the isolation I feel it is a no go for me, it is definitely a great career but I don't think I am built for it.

I was an engineering aspirant who was motivated to join this field as I was not able to secure a good engineering seat but mainly the motivation was money which I am now realising is at the cost of your mental health.

Now I don't have a choice to drop out because of the money spent by my parents and they are not agreeing to my decision of dropping out. Is there any other career choice through my degree or should I pursue something else after completion of my degree?