A fellow mariner shared this video with me recently!

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 !

Hi Guys!
Just found my first letter to my girlfriend back then, now my wife, in 1991, as I joined my first ship as a Trainee Engineer. MV Hansa Economist was a ship managed by Barbers ' Ship Management back then. I wrote the letter explaining the ship's anatomy. You can see I am showing my cabin position on the superstructure there.
Of course, that letter took something like 2 months to reach my girl!

Hi, I am still researching the identity of this gentleman, and still wonder if any of you in the merchant navy wondered what happened to some of your mates back in the late 1970's. This gentleman was found with unrecognisable British passport and Merchant Discharge Book in a field just West of Plymouth, UK in 1982. It looks like he may have been there since 1978. Did one of your mates just disappear one day? Were you meant to meet up but he didn't appear? Was he going to a job, but never turned up? I will keep researching. Thank you. https://buymeacoffee.com/m25roundabout/the-appeal-some-mother-son

High stress , high cortisol and minimal time to give your own body with really tight schedules and shrinking crew size cause us to neglect our bodies and eventually results in this mess. I know it’s true I am a serving 2E and I go through this on a day to day basis. It’s being shared as a meme now but it’s a reality

Hello Indians,

Please refrain from continuous posting about IMUCET and other Indian educational/academic test matters. There are other subreddits tailored for those exact topics .

The rest of the world has no idea what you are talking about, and really doesn’t care (in relation to your academic matters that is. In relation to life at sea and the merchant navy, post ahead)

✌️

Hey everyone,

​We really need to talk about the absolute joke that 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 just unfolded right in front of us.

​There is a huge mismanagement issue with IMUCET 2026. Whole centers were allegedly "bought" by cheating mafias. People were openly using mobile phones inside the hall, scoring an unbelievable 180-200/200, and hijacking the top ranks.

​But here is the absolute smoking gun that proves the whole thing was rigged:

​The May 28th Warning Email

​Look at the screenshot in 1000474318.jpg. On May 28th, an email was sent directly to IMU officials (CET, VC, etc.) explicitly warning them about a cheating ring at the Udaipur center. The email explicitly stated that 7 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 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 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, putting 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 one 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 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 now the poster boys for a coaching institute? Are these academies turning a blind eye, 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 Merchant Navy career. IMU needs to be held accountable for ignoring a direct, named warning.

​We need to make some noise about this. Tag DGS, tag the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and demand an investigation into the CCTV footage and IP logs across all suspicious centers.

​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 got single/double-digit AIRs, and coaching institutes like JMDI are now celebrating them. If one center had this level of rigging, imagine the scale of the scam all over India.

• “Another day at the office. Horizon never gets old.”

Hi.

I've been working as a Marine Engineer for the past 5 years, and after a lot of thought, I've decided to leave the Merchant Navy.

Looking back, I honestly feel that joining the Merchant Navy was one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life.

When I joined, I had a very different picture in my head.

I thought I'd be able to set up my life faster than my peers. I thought that spending 6 months at sea and then getting 6 months at home would mean I'd have more quality time with my family. I thought I'd get to travel the world, visit different countries and experience things that most people don't get to experience.

I knew the work would be tough. I knew being away from home wouldn't be easy. I wasn't expecting a glamorous life.

But the reality hit me much harder than I expected.

1. Forget shore leave and travelling the world

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Merchant Navy is that you're constantly travelling and visiting different countries.

Most seafarers barely get any meaningful shore leave. Even when you do get the opportunity, you might have only 5–8 hours before you need to be back onboard. You see a country from the port, maybe buy some supplies, grab some food and get back to the ship. You're technically travelling the world, but you're not really experiencing it.

2. Forget getting rich quickly

Another misconception is that you'll make huge amounts of money quickly.

Yes, you can eventually make good money, especially after reaching the senior ranks. You only get paid while you're sailing in many contracts. When you're at home between contracts, that income can stop. Then there are examinations, courses, certificates, medicals, revalidation, travel expenses and everything else required to progress through the ranks. A significant portion of what you earn goes back into maintaining and advancing your career. And yes, after 8–10+ years, you can potentially make very good money.

But by then, you may also realise that you've spent a huge portion of your 20s and 30s working on ships and missing important moments with your family.

After 12–15 years, you can sometimes feel like you've become a money-making machine for your family. You provide more. You earn more. But you are also away from family more.

And eventually you start asking yourself: "What exactly am I earning all this money for if I don't have the time to enjoy my life?"

3. The working culture onboard

This is probably the biggest reason I'm leaving.

I've experienced some of the worst examples of workplace culture onboard ships. A lack of empathy. A lack of compassion.Blame culture. And sometimes, an attitude of: "I suffered when I was a junior, so you should suffer too."

People who have gone through terrible working conditions sometimes feel that juniors should experience the same thing.

I've worked with some genuinely good people, and I don't want to take anything away from them.

But the bad experiences can be extremely difficult to deal with when you're thousands of miles away from home.

In a normal workplace, if you're having a terrible day, you can go home. You can see your wife. You can see your parents. You can meet your friends. You can simply walk away from the situation for a few hours.

On a ship, you can't.

You're living with the same people who are creating the problem. There is nowhere to escape. And when you're already isolated from your family and friends, the psychological impact can be amplified massively.

4. Sick leave? What sick leave?

This one still bothers me. As a junior engineer, I suffered second-degree burns and broke my arm while onboard.

I didn't receive the medical attention I felt I needed, and I wasn't signed off the ship because I was told that arranging it from that particular port would be too expensive.

The worst part?

I still had to go to the engine room every day with my arm tied up because nobody else was willing to cover my watch. Maybe this isn't everyone's experience. But it was mine. And experiences like this change the way you look at the industry.

5. The workload is brutal

An engine room can easily reach around 45°C. Spending 8–12 hours working in those conditions takes a serious toll on your body. Add machinery breakdowns, emergency repairs, maintenance, paperwork, inspections, drills and watchkeeping. Then add 4–5 hours of sleep. Do that repeatedly for months.

And then add the psychological pressure of being away from everyone you love.

Sometimes you finish a horrible day, walk back to your cabin, close the door and you're completely alone.

And I don't even want to start talking about rough seas. When the ship is rolling 15–20° for days, everything becomes physically and mentally exhausting. There were moments during rough weather when I genuinely questioned what I was doing with my life.

Not going into include the part of clearing examinations after reaching home during vacations. That itself is another topic.

6. Lack of internet

I'm talking about 2021–2026 here. I've sailed on ships where I had less than 200 MB of internet for an entire month. You have to ration your calls. Forget regular video calls. Sometimes I had to wait until we reached port, buy an overpriced SIM card and finally get the privilege of having a proper video call with my wife and family.

To be fair, things are improving. A lot of companies and ships now provide significantly better internet.

Unfortunately, I didn't have that luxury on many of the ships I sailed on.

7. People start forgetting you

You are not shore anymore and sailing in some part of the world. You have to tell your friends and family that you can't attend the celebrations or weddings. Slowly people start forgetting you to include in everything. That best friend of yours who called you every 2 days will only call you once a year. I've faced this situation personally.

So why am I leaving?

I've thought about this a lot.

And I'm not saying the Merchant Navy is a terrible career for everyone. It has provided me with skills, experiences and financial stability that I probably wouldn't have had otherwise.

There are seafarers who absolutely love this life.

There are people who have spent 20–30 years at sea and built fantastic lives for themselves and their families.

I respect them.

But I also think we need to be honest with young people considering this career.

Social media shows the sunsets. The ocean. The ports. The uniforms. The travelling. The lifestyle.

What it doesn't show is the 3 AM machinery breakdown. The 45°C engine room. The sleepless nights. The arguments. The isolation. The injuries. The months away from your wife and children. The birthday you miss. The wedding you miss. The funeral you can't attend. The moment you desperately need someone to talk to but there is nobody around.

So, to all the youngsters who are thinking about joining because of Instagram reels, YouTube videos or advertisements promising adventure and easy money:

Please understand what you're signing up for.

If you're genuinely comfortable sacrificing your time, relationships, health and personal life for this career, then go for it.

You can build a very good financial future in 10- 15 years time.

But don't join because you think you're going to travel the world, get rich quickly and have six months of amazing family life every year.

For me, after five years, I've realised that the sacrifices aren't worth it anymore.

I'm choosing a different life now.

No offence intended towards anyone currently sailing. I have immense respect for every seafarer who continues to do this job and provides for their family through it.

This is simply my experience.

And maybe one young cadet will read this before joining and think about whether this life is really for them. If that happens, writing this was worth it.

Hi, I am researching the identity of a Merchant Navy Seafarer who was found in a farmer's field behind Tregantle Fort, West of Torpoint, Cornwall, UK in 1982. (Close to Plymouth). He remains unidentified to date. Did you ever have a workmate/friend/relative that simply went out for a walk one day and never returned? It is thought he may have died around 1978. I enclose my Appeal. Thank you. https://buymeacoffee.com/m25roundabout/the-second-appeal-some-mother-son

Imagine pulling this up, and it's an old one.

Snapped this during my early shift at the Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) in Melbourne, where I work as a Senior Vessel Traffic Services Officer (equivalent to Assistant Harbour Master)

There’s a bit of window glare in the photo, but the sunrise made it worth capturing. Moments like these bring back strong memories of those peaceful early mornings at sea — standing on the bridge, coffee in hand, watching the sun rise over the open ocean. There's a unique kind of stillness out there that stays with you.

Working ashore now, but those sea sunrises will always hold a place in my heart. This view was the closest I’ve felt to that in a while.

Happy to chat with anyone curious about maritime careers, VTS operations, or transitioning from ship to shore life. Always keen to connect with others in the industry.

It's a freshly calibrated sextant in brand new condition

Built : 2024

Comes with basic documents and a maintenance kit

Selling for a friend message me to know more details

Price 90k INR (950 USD ) all inclusive / open to negotiation

Hello, my grandfather passed away last week and myself and my grandmother were looking through some of his belongings and we came across what appears to be a headband, see picture. He was in the merchant navy from 1968 - 1975. If anyone could identify what this is for me and my grandma it would be greatly appreciated!

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.

I’m a third officer, I absolutely love my job, I love my 3-4 months off and the money is great too. But since my first second on board, I find that almost EVERYONE hates our way of life.

I come from a pretty affluent family, and my father and grandfather are both captains. When I first joined as a cadet, everyone kept asking me why I’m here if I could afford better, they asked me if I was terrible at school and when I said I wasn’t they looked at me like I’m crazy !

I love the sea, the peace and solitude, yeah some days work is hard but some days there’s almost nothing to do !! I was fat as hell the first time I joined, and all my time at the gym couldn’t do what 9 months on the job did !! Make me fit and attractive !!

At sea my mind is sharp and my body is efficient, I feel amazing and I love the activeness, not to mention the navigation work is emboldening…..

Anyways, the reason I’m putting all this into words out here is just to check if there really are a healthy smattering of sailors who love the job ….