India issued a record number of certificates of competency (CoC) to marine engineers in 2025. The figures are in the STCW Annual Report 2025 (Engineering). The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) published it on 10 November 2026. DGMA is India's maritime administration, formerly called DG Shipping.
A certificate of competency is the licence an officer needs to work in a rank on board. The report also shows that many candidates fail. Fewer than half of the candidates for the Second Engineer and Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) certificates passed in 2025.
The main figures for 2025
MEO Class I (Chief Engineer): 735 certificates, 17% more than in 2024. 1,002 candidates registered for the exam. The report gives an overall success rate of 70%.
MEO Class II (Second Engineer): 1,143 certificates, 3% more than in 2024. 2,657 candidates registered. The overall success rate was 43%.
MEO Class IV (watchkeeping engineer): a record 2,700 certificates, 6% more than in 2024. 3,057 candidates registered. The overall success rate was 88%.
ETO: 385 certificates, 17% more than in 2024. The overall success rate was 48%.
Tanker and gas-fuel ship certificates: 22,283 certificates of proficiency (CoP). They are for oil, chemical and gas tankers and for ships under the IGF Code. The IGF Code covers ships that use gas or other low-flashpoint fuels. This was 6.6% more than in 2024.
Engine ratings: 5,087 certificates of proficiency for engine ratings, Able Seafarer Engine and Electro-Technical Ratings. This was 39% more than in 2024.
MEO means Marine Engineer Officer. All figures are for the engineering exams only. Deck officer certificates are not in this report.
Big differences between training institutes
Candidates take a preparation course at a maritime training institute (MTI) before the exam. The report compares the pass rates of the larger institutes. The differences are large.
MEO Class I (institutes with at least 50 students): Centre for Maritime Training, Noida, had the highest pass rate, 60%. Indian Maritime University, Chennai (NIPM/NMA), had the lowest, 30.65%.
MEO Class II (at least 100 students): Centre for Maritime Training, Noida, was again highest, with 58.5%. Marine Educational Charitable Trust, Kolkata, was lowest, with 38.8%.
ETO (at least 25 new students): Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy, Karjat, had 80%. Maritime Training Institute, Powai, Mumbai, had the lowest rate, 34.38%.
More exam places
The exams are held every month except May. Class IV exams started again at MMD Visakhapatnam in March 2025, after a new building was finished. MMD is the Mercantile Marine Department, the local DGMA office. The Chief Examiner writes in the report that, since July, written exams for MEO Class II and ETO are also held there.
DGMA says its new exam portal lets candidates book a written exam seat at another centre when their own centre is full. We explained how this works in our post on booking an MEO exam seat at another MMD centre.
Why candidates fail, says the Chief Examiner
On 16 October 2026, India's Chief Examiner of Engineers, Killi Mohana Rao, published a note for MEO Class I candidates. He had studied answer papers from the written exam. He wrote that candidates rarely fail because they lack knowledge. They fail because of poor time management, misreading questions and badly organised answers.
His note says that many candidates read only the first words of a question. Then they write pages about something that was not asked. Untidy handwriting and wrongly numbered answers also cost marks.
What to do if you are preparing for an MEO or ETO exam
Download the October 2026 model question papers for MEO Class I, Class II, Class IV and ETO. They are on the DGMA latest news page.
Read the Chief Examiner's note. It is written for Class I, but the advice fits every written exam.
Answer the question that is asked. "State" or "list" means short points. "Explain" means you must show why something happens.
If a question says "sketch and describe", draw the sketch. The note says an answer without the sketch loses 50% of the marks.
In calculations, write the formula and every step, with units. The note says you can still get up to 90% of the marks if only the final number is wrong.
Plan your time. In a 100-mark, 3-hour paper you have 1.8 minutes per mark. Keep 10 to 15 minutes at the end to check your answers.
Before you pay for a preparation course, ask the institute for its pass rates. Compare them with the figures in the DGMA report.
A higher certificate means higher pay. See what Second Engineers earn in our 2nd Engineer salary guide. Electro-technical officers can find open jobs among the ETO vacancies on Crewboard.
Cover photo: cylinder heads and rocker arms on the main engine of the ship MS Bleichen, May 2015. Illustrative photo. Photo: Michael Krahe/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources: DGMA: STCW Annual Report 2025 (Engineering), published 10 November 2026 (PDF), DGMA: A note from the Chief Examiner of Engineers to MEO Class I candidates, 16 October 2026 (PDF), DGMA: Latest news (model question papers for MEO and ETO exams, October 2026).
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