Section 8 · Documented Admission Framework
Join the Merchant Navy Through a Written Route Not a Verbal Promise
HBIMS-NAF&SA — National Admission Framework & Seat Assurance brings structure, transparency and accountability into Merchant Navy admission. Founded in 2018 under Humble Bee Education Foundation, we guide aspirants and parents toward DG Shipping-approved Maritime Training Institutes through eligibility screening, counselling, medical-readiness awareness, documentation and seat-mapping support.
Start Here
Three Ways to Begin
Every serious aspirant starts with one of these. All three are free, documented and take minutes.
Check Your Eligibility
Know your right course before you apply. Instant baseline guidance across all seven Merchant Navy pathways.
- Age, qualification and English marks
- Height, BMI and passport status
- Course suitability across 7 programmes
Start Your Application
Register through the official form and receive your NAF ID on WhatsApp within minutes.
- Documented from the first submission
- Eligibility screening follows automatically
- Parent briefing built into the process
Get the HBIMS App
Track eligibility, counselling, documents and seat mapping from your phone.
- Live admission-stage tracking
- Document status and checklists
- Student Desk updates and alerts
Flagship Programme
GP Rating — The Most Common Entry to Sea
Seven pathways exist. This is the one most aspirants begin with. Full eligibility below — check yours against it before you apply.
General Purpose Rating
Approximately 25 weeks of residential pre-sea training at a DG Shipping-approved MTI, followed by sea service. The entry point for most Indian seafarers — and the route toward officer cadre through later Certificate of Competency examinations.
GP Rating — Eligibility at a Glance
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Course Duration | 6 months · ≈25 weeks residential |
| Minimum Qualification | 10th Standard · 40% aggregate · 40% English |
| Age (General) | 17.5–25 yrs (M) · 17.5–27 yrs (F) |
| Minimum Height | 157 cm |
| BMI Range | 18 – 25 |
| Eyesight | 6/6 · no colour blindness |
Criterion
Indicative parameters only. Category relaxations, alternate 12th / ITI / Diploma routes, PCM requirements and passport status vary by course and MTI.
Check Full Eligibility — All 7 CoursesMerchant Navy for female aspirants: the age window is wider — published policy, not a favour.
Women sail on the bridge and in the engine room, on the same certificate, through the same six-month Merchant Navy training. The criteria that differ are written down, and you can hold us to them.
The Government pays women ₹1 lakh to train at sea. GP Rating counts.
The Directorate General of Shipping, through the Maritime Training Trust it established, has funded Indian women taking pre-sea courses at DGS-approved Maritime Training Institutes since 2014-15. The scholarship was ₹50,000 until 2018-19 and has been ₹1,00,000 per woman candidate from 2019-20 onward. Crucially, the scheme covers rating programmes, not only officer courses — which is exactly the route this page is about.
Two extra years, in every category
The published GP Rating upper age limit for women, by category.
| Category | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| General | 17.5 – 27 yrs +2 | 17.5 – 25 |
| OBC-NCL | 17.5 – 30 yrs +2 | 17.5 – 28 |
| SC / ST | 17.5 – 32 yrs +2 | 17.5 – 30 |
The same training and the same certificate
There is no separate women's course and no shorter version. Approximately 25 weeks of residential pre-sea training at a DG Shipping-approved institute, identical syllabus, identical standard.
Written standards, not verbal assurances
DG Shipping's M.S. Notice 07 of 2019 requires shipowner policy to prohibit gender discrimination in employment, wages and promotion, to provide maternity leave under the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, and to resolve sexual-harassment complaints onboard through a defined, confidential procedure. Ships in international trade also sit under the Maritime Labour Convention for accommodation and rest hours.
Your parents get the same answers you do
Safety and living conditions are usually a parent's first question, and they should be asked before any money moves. Counselling in this framework is parent-informed by design.
Merchant Navy after ITI: your trade already speaks the language of the engine room.
A General Purpose Rating works across deck and engine. Nothing in that work is unfamiliar to someone who has spent two years with a spanner in his hand — the parts are simply bigger and the workshop moves.
What you did in the workshop
- Read a drawing, work to a tolerance, check a clearance
- Strip a machine down and put it back working
- Hand tools, power tools, measuring instruments
- Worked a shift, signed a job card, followed a foreman
What that becomes at sea
- Planned maintenance on pumps, valves and purifiers
- Overhauls in the engine room with the duty engineer
- The same tools, in a workshop that is bolted to a ship
- Watchkeeping, work permits, a signed record of every job
Same hands, same discipline. The bench you already know, and the engine room it leads to.
Bearings and bushes, alignment, feeler gauges, hand-fitting to a clearance.
Pumps, valves and purifiers are stripped and rebuilt at sea the same way, to the same clearances.
Arc and gas welding, cutting, grinding, fabrication from a drawing.
Hot work under a written permit — pipe patches, brackets, structural repair, with fire watch set.
Starters and contactors, motor windings, circuit tracing, fault finding.
Switchboards, generators, deck lighting and motor faults — the same circuits on a moving platform.
Injectors, filters, fuel pumps, timing, top overhauls on a diesel engine.
Main engine and auxiliaries run on the same principles. Bigger units, longer hours, written procedures.
All Seven Pathways
One of These Fits Your Profile
A wrong course choice wastes time, money and confidence. Compare duration and entry route before you commit — then check your eligibility against all seven at once.
Advisory to Aspirants & Parents — If It Is Not Written, It Is Not Confirmed
Unverified agents promise guaranteed admission, guaranteed sponsorship, guaranteed placement, fake medical clearance or direct joining without explaining the official pathway. HBIMS-NAF&SA never collects fees through unauthorised persons, anonymous numbers or cash channels. Verify through our official website or our WhatsApp / Navya AI line +91 9650819757 , Direct Line- +91 9205222414 . If something is not written, it should not be treated as confirmed — that one rule protects candidates from misrepresentation.
Free Self-Check Tools
Three Calculators, No Registration
Check where you stand before anyone asks you for anything. All three are free and give an instant preliminary reading.
Eligibility Calculator
Check baseline suitability across GP Rating, CCMC, DNS, B.Sc. Nautical Science, B.Tech Marine Engineering, ETO and GME.
Medical Fitness Calculator
Self-check height, weight, BMI, eyesight, colour vision, hearing and vaccination readiness before the DG Shipping medical examination.
Professional Calculator
For serving seafarers: estimate qualifying sea service, SSTP reduction and CoC readiness for Second Mate, Chief Mate and Master FG.
By the Record
A Framework, Not a Promise
Documented eligibility screening, transparent counselling and verified course mapping — measured, not claimed.
Two Routes · One Choice
Agent Route vs. HBIMS-NAF&SA ™ Route
Merchant Navy admission involves eligibility, medical fitness, training approval, documentation, course category and sea-service pathway. Because the process is technical, many aspirants become dependent on agents. This is what changes when the route is documented.
The Agent Route
Confusion is the product. Nothing survives a written record.
- Anonymous number or informal contact — no office, no accountability, no paper trail.
- Verbal promise of admission, sponsorship or placement, never put in writing.
- Cash demand without official invoice, and no refund clarity.
- One institute pushed without comparison — often chosen on commission.
- Fake urgency used to force a decision before eligibility is checked.
- Medical “arranged” — fitness claimed rather than independently certified.
The HBIMS-NAF&SA ™ Route
Structure replaces confusion. Every step leaves a record.
- Listed, documented and accountable framework with counselling centres you can visit by appointment.
- Written counselling and acknowledgement at every waypoint — nothing rests on memory.
- Official invoice and banking channel for every rupee, with refund terms stated up front.
- Multiple DG Shipping-approved MTI comparison — name, city, intake, fee and duration side by side.
- Eligibility-first admission process — suitability is checked before anything is sold.
- DG Shipping-approved doctor decides fitness independently. HBIMS never influences findings.
Mission 2030: India’s Maritime Growth Needs Career-Ready Aspirants
India’s maritime future is not only about ports, ships and cargo. It is also about people.
Mission 2030 needs candidates who are
A country can build maritime infrastructure, but seafarers must build maritime discipline.
HBIMS-NAF&SA supports the human-readiness side of maritime growth by guiding candidates through eligibility screening, counselling, medical-readiness awareness, document preparation and DG Shipping-approved MTI mapping.
India’s maritime sector is growing, and the future will need more disciplined, trained and medically ready maritime candidates. A strong maritime future requires strong candidate preparation.
The future belongs to prepared candidates.
Why HBIMS-NAF&SA
Why Families Trust the Framework
NAF&SA is not a casual counselling counter. It is a structured framework where every step is documented, every candidate is screened, every parent is informed, every fee is acknowledged, every document is checked and every MTI mapping is handled with clarity.
Public-Good, Not Commission
HBIMS operates under the vision of Humble Bee Education Foundation, a Section 8 not-for-profit focused on structured guidance and public-good admission support. The objective is not to sell dreams — it is to protect aspirants through documented screening and verified course mapping.
Read our story
Ex-Merchant Navy Counselling
Counselling should be done by people who understand sea life. Candidates are counselled on life onboard, contract lifestyle, sea-time realities, deck and engine routes, medical fitness, income expectations, family adjustment and discipline — beyond brochure language.
Meet the team
Multiple MTI Comparison
HBIMS-NAF&SA does not push one institute. Candidates see approved MTI options by name, city, approved course, intake date, fee structure, hostel requirement and duration — then decide for themselves.
Compare programmes
Written, Receipted, Recorded
The most powerful protection in admission is documentation. Registration, screening, counselling note, parent consent, fee acknowledgement, medical record, document checklist, MTI comparison and declaration — each one written.
See the frameworkAbout HBIMS-NAF&SA
Shaping India’s future seafarers through a documented admission framework
The Merchant Navy is a regulated career. A candidate cannot enter it safely through verbal promises, cash-based claims, fake agents, unverified admissions or unclear medical promises.
Founded in 2018 under the vision of Humble Bee Education Foundation, HBIMS-NAF&SA helps aspirants and parents understand the correct route into DG Shipping / DG Shipping-approved Maritime Training Institutes through eligibility screening, counselling, medical-readiness awareness, documentation and seat-mapping support.
Our purpose is simple: talent, discipline, eligibility, medical readiness and documentation should decide the candidate’s pathway — not confusion, middlemen or false promises.
10 benefits of joining Merchant Navy
Why Merchant Navy?
The Merchant Navy is not just a career. It is a disciplined professional life built on ships, ports, global trade, technical skill, courage, responsibility and international exposure.
High-Income Global Career in Merchant Navy
Tax-Efficient Income Potential in Merchant Navy
Travel the World While Working in Merchant Navy
Fast Career Growth and Rank Progression in Merchant Navy
Professional Respect and Uniformed Discipline in Merchant Navy
Global Job-Oriented Skill Development in Merchant Navy
Your Merchant Navy salary trajectory.
Every rank on this ladder was once a first voyage.
The sea does not ask where you started — only whether you kept climbing.
Trainee • GP Rating • Cadet
First voyage, learning the ropes.
Able Seaman • Oiler • Wiper
Trusted hands, mature competence.
Third Officer • Fourth Engineer
Officer track begins.
Second Officer • Second Engineer • Chief Officer
Bridge watch in charge, team management.
Captain • Chief Engineer
Command of high-value vessels.
A word on
the math
A Captain on ₹15 lakh a month, sailing around 8 months in a year, earns roughly ₹1.2 crore in that year. That is the arithmetic of one year at the top of the ladder.
What a whole career adds up to depends entirely on how many years you spend at each rank — and the early years are not Captain's years. Anyone who multiplies a Captain's salary by thirty and calls it your lifetime earnings is not doing your arithmetic, they are doing their own.
HBIMS -NAF&SA Updates
News, Advisories & Framework Updates
All institutional announcements from HBIMS-NAF&SA™ — intake schedules, regulatory changes, fraud advisories, and milestones. Most recent first.
New Batch Admission Awareness: Start With Eligibility, Not Promises
Fraud Advisory: Do Not Trust Fake Merchant Navy Agents
Eligibility First: Why Every Merchant Navy Aspirant Must Check Suitability
Medical Fitness Awareness: Check Before You Reach the Final Stage
HBIMS Mobile App: Track Your Admission Journey
MTI Campus Life: Discipline Begins Before the Ship
Latest Articles
Maritime Insights
Circulars, maritime law, global shipping updates and career intelligence
DG Shipping Circular Watch: Why Aspirants and Seafarers Must Track Official Updates
Merchant Shipping Act, 2025: Why India’s Maritime Law Modernisation Matters
IMO World Maritime Day 2026-2027: From Policy to Practice
MLC 2006: Why Seafarer Welfare Is a Core Maritime Issue
ITF Seafarer Welfare Updates: Why Crew Safety Cannot Be Ignored
Seafarer Security Advisory: High-Risk Waters and Professional Discipline
GP Rating Course Eligibility Criteria in India
Track Your Admission Journey From Your Phone
The official HBIMS Mobile App keeps you connected to the documented framework. Download only the official app — avoid fake apps, unofficial links and unverified admission numbers.
- Track every admission waypoint live
- Eligibility screening status
- Document checklist and upload status
- Counselling and medical-readiness updates
- Seat-mapping progress
- Student Desk alerts and notices
24/7 Student Desk
WhatsApp & Navya AI Support
Reach out through WhatsApp, phone, email or office visit. Our team responds within 24 hours.
WhatsApp / Navya AI Support
Instant guidance on eligibility, documents and admission stages
Available 24/7
Visit Jaipur or Gurugram
Walk-in counselling by appointment — book in the HBIMS Mobile App
Jaipur Office Regional
Plot C-78, Siddharth Nagar, Airport Road, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Gurugram Office Corporate
Pratibha Tower, Ashoka Marg, Silokhera, South City I, Gurugram, DELHI-NCR — 122001
A Note to Parents
"You don't owe your child a guarantee. You owe them a documented path . That's what we built."
HBIMS-NAF&SA™ MASTER MANUAL 2025-V2.0
Begin Your Documented Path
Begin Your Documented Path to the Merchant Navy
Submit your application. Get your NAF ID on WhatsApp within 5 minutes. Book an appointment and visit either of our 2 listed walk-in counselling centres. Compare DG Shipping-approved MTIs. Choose your future — with paper, not promises.
Section 8 · ISO 9001:2015 · DG Shipping Aligned · 5,000+ verified Cadets