India is changing the exams for dredge engineers. A dredger is a ship that digs sand and mud from the sea bed, for example to keep ports and channels deep. Its engineers need a Certificate of Competency (CoC) for their grade.
The changes are in DGMA Circular 72 of 2026, dated 26 October 2026. DGMA is the Directorate General of Maritime Administration, India's maritime authority, earlier called DG Shipping. The Chief Examiner of Engineers approved the changes after requests from the industry.
What changes
Keep credit for a passed exam: until now, Dredge Engineer Grade I and Grade II candidates had to pass the written and the oral exam together. From the November 2026 exams, if you pass only one of them, you keep that pass. You do not need to take both again.
More exam dates: DGMA now holds the dredge grade exams once a year. They will be held four times a year. The dates will be in DGMA's exam calendar for 2027.
No Machine Drawing for engineering graduates: Dredge Engineer Grade I candidates with a B.E. or B.Tech degree in mechanical or marine engineering no longer take the Machine Drawing subject. This also applies to candidates whose eligibility was checked before the circular.
Why DGMA made the changes
The circular says dredging companies now want higher standards when they hire engineers. Candidates asked for more exam chances and for the Machine Drawing exemption. DGMA also wants candidates who started pre-sea training to have enough chances to finish their CoC exams before new Merchant Shipping (STCW) Rules are announced.
What to do now
If you failed only the written or only the oral part before, ask your Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) office how the new credit rule applies to you.
Plan your next attempt. Check the DGMA 2027 exam calendar for the four new dates when it is published.
Engineering graduates applying for Grade I: check that your degree certificate is in your application, so the Machine Drawing exemption is applied.
Read the full circular on the DGMA website. The link is below.
Cover photo: The Dredging Corporation of India dredger DCI Dredge XV in April 2013. Illustrative photo. Photo: Suresh Babunair/Wikimedia Commons (Panoramio), CC BY 3.0 (cropped).
Sources: DGMA Circular 72 of 2026: Changes in the Dredge Engineer Grade examinations (26 Oct 2026, PDF), DGMA: list of DGS circulars, 2026.
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