1) What is RPS License? Recruitment & Placement Services (RPS) rules issued by the Govt of India and enforced under the Indian Merchant Shipping Act by the Indian DG Shipping which provides a mechanism for protection of Indian seafarers (trainees, officers, petty officers and ratings) working on Indian and Foreign flag vessels and the necessary safeguards for their repatriation in the event of their being stranded or during such other exigencies, when the ship owner fails to discharge the duty of repatriating the seafarers to the home port of the seaman. All RPS providers have to register and obtain a Recruitment & Placement Services License (RPSL). There are also required to renew their license when expired and are committed to submitting a monthly report to the Director General of Shipping / Seamen's Employment Offices, in which Name of the seafarer, CDC No, Name of vessel and its flag he has joined, date of sign ON, date of sign OFF and his arrival in India is notified. This information is submitted every month and a register is maintained at the DGS with respect to the above mentioned information sent by the RPS providers. Each RPS is issued with a RPSL number. A list of all registered RPSL is available on the DGS website. This RPSL number is required to be mentioned on the letterhead of the company issuing a seafarer his Contract letter, Sea time certificate and other official documents. 2) Can I join any courses conducted by MMD? MMD does not conduct any courses, it only conducts various examinations for sea-going personnel. 3) How is life in merchant navy? A career in merchant navy is a unique blend of variety encompassed in a single domain. By opting for a merchant navy career, individuals can combine a lot of different facets and gain a lot of exposure which would be difficult to gain otherwise. 1) Lucrative Pay-Packages 2) Tax Benefits 3) Destinations Galore 4) Confluence of Cultures 5) Enhances Professionalism 6) Extensive Exposure 7) Inspiring Adventure 8) Less-demanding Qualifications 9) Regulated life-style 10) Extended Vacations 4) What is CDC? C.D.C means a Continuous Discharge Certificate-cum-Seafarer's Identity Document. This document certifies that the person holding this is a seaman as per The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, as amended 1995. Every seafarer must carry this document while on board, which is also an official and legal record of his sea experience. The master of the vessel signs the document each time a seaman is signed off from the vessel certifying his experience on board. A C.D.C. granted under STCW rules shall be valid for a period of ten years and may be renewed on expiry or within six months prior to date of expiry, on a request from the holder, for a further period up to ten years at a time if the holder is a serving Seamen and his C.D.C. has not been cancelled, withdrawn or suspended under these rules. If the period of validity of CDC of a Seaman expires during the voyage, it shall continue to be valid till the end of the voyage. This is one of the most important documents while a seaman is travelling on board. Even if a person has just this document, they have been called seaman. 5) How do I join the Merchant Navy? To become an officer, write the Indian Maritime University Examination and apply to MERI for Engineers and Chanakya for Deck Officers. Your rank in the examination will be considered for selection. Selected candidates will have to undergo further pre-sea training before joining the career at sea. Ratings i.e other than officers have to undergo pre-sea training in any DGS approved institutes. Graduate mechanical engineers can attend any DGS approved workshops for training prior going to sea.