Dredging Corporation of India Limited has issued Advertisement No. 04/2026, a walk-in recruitment for 28 trainee posts — Trainee Marine Engineer, Trainee Electrical Officer and NCV (T) — together with eight ranks of fleet personnel for which no vacancy count has been declared. Everything is on a contract basis, and there is no online application and no application fee. You turn up with your documents on the day.
Two dates, and they are not interchangeable. Fleet personnel are interviewed on 5 November 2026; the three trainee posts on 6 November 2026. That is 13 days and 14 days from today. The trainee interviews happen at Visakhapatnam only — the Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi centres are for fleet personnel.
Walk-in dates, times and venues
| Who | Date and time | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet personnel — all eight ranks | 5 November 2026 (Thursday), 10:00 AM onwards | Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Chennai or Kochi |
| Trainee Marine Engineer and Trainee Electrical Officer | 6 November 2026 (Friday), 10:00 AM onwards | Visakhapatnam only |
| NCV (T) | 6 November 2026 (Friday), 10:00 AM onwards | Visakhapatnam only |
| DCI floating staff not signed off, appearing by video conference | CV and documents to be emailed by 3 November 2026, 15:00 hrs | recruitfs@dcil.co.in |
Reporting is for document verification first, from 10:00 AM. DCI states plainly that applications without supporting documents, or incomplete in any respect, “shall be summarily rejected during walk-in-interview”. There is no second visit.
| Centre | Venue | Phone | Who attends here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visakhapatnam | Dredge House, H.B. Colony, Seethammadhara, Visakhapatnam – 530 022, Andhra Pradesh | 0891-2871235 / 0891-2871245 | Fleet personnel and all trainee posts |
| Kolkata | DCIL, KOPT Quarters B3 & B5, Nimakmahal Road, Kolkata | 033-22825313 / 033-22826906 | Fleet personnel only |
| Chennai | Indian Maritime University, East Coast Road, Semmencherry, Chennai – 600 119 | 044-29884893 | Fleet personnel only |
| Kochi | DCIL, Dr. No. 57/566(D9), Chackalackal Building, KP Vallon Road, Kadavanthara, Kochi – 682 020 | 0484-2962032 | Fleet personnel only |
Trainee vacancies and the category split
| Post | Vacancies | UR | OBC | SC | ST | EWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee Marine Engineer | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Trainee Electrical Officer | 10 | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| NCV (T) | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 28 | |||||
Two things in that table are worth a second look before you decide whether to travel.
- Trainee Electrical Officer has no unreserved seat. All ten are reserved — OBC-2, SC-4, ST-2, EWS-2. A general-category candidate with no EWS certificate has nothing to apply for in this post.
- NCV (T) is four posts across four categories — one each for UR, SC, ST and EWS, and none for OBC.
DCI adds the usual rider that the vacancies are provisional and may be increased, decreased or modified at any stage without notice.
Who is eligible
Trainee Marine Engineer — 14 posts
A four-year degree in Marine Engineering from an IMU-affiliated college, an institute approved by the Directorate General of Shipping, or an institute recognised by a State Government, the Central Government or the AICTE. Alternatively, Graduate Marine Engineering from a recognised university completed after a four-year engineering degree.
There is a disqualification here that catches people, and it is stated in the general instructions rather than in the eligibility table: candidates who have already acquired CoC as MEO Class IV, and those who are about to obtain it, are not eligible to apply for Trainee Marine Engineer. This is a training berth, not an entry route for people who have already finished the training.
Trainee Electrical Officer — 10 posts
A four-year degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication / Communication Engineering, or Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering, recognised by a State Government, the Central Government or the AICTE.
On top of the degree you must have completed the four-month Electro Technical Officer course from a DG Shipping approved institute. DCI's instructions add that candidates who have done the four-month ETO course and the basic STCW courses are eligible for TELO — so treat both as requirements, not as nice-to-haves.
NCV (T) — 4 posts
Minimum SSC / 10th class from a recognised board, plus the Pre-sea GP Rating course, plus a pass in the DG Shipping approved Exit Examination with a minimum 60% aggregate.
The age limit is printed inside the NCV (T) row of the official table: “Age: Should be less than 25 years as on date of joining on board for all candidates.” Note where it sits — no age limit is printed against Trainee Marine Engineer or Trainee Electrical Officer, and we are not going to invent one for them. If age is the question that decides whether you travel to Visakhapatnam, ring 0891-2871235 before you book.
Fleet personnel — eight ranks, no vacancy count declared
| Rank | Certificate of Competency / experience required |
|---|---|
| Dredge Master | Certificate of Competency / CoS as Master (FG), or Dredge Master Gr-I, or Master (NCV) |
| Chief Officer | Certificate of Competency as 1st Mate (FG), or Dredge Master Gr-II, or Mate (NCV) |
| 2nd Officer | Certificate of Competency as 2nd Mate (FG), or NWKO (NCV), or Dredge Mate Gr-I — with dredger experience as 2nd Officer performing independent watch-keeping duties |
| 3rd Officer | NWKO (NCV) certificate holder |
| Chief Engineer Officer | MEO Class-I, or Dredge Engineer Grade-I, or MEO Class-II with 12 months’ experience, or MEO Class-III (NCV-CEO) with OSV endorsement and 6 months’ experience |
| 2nd Engineer Officer | MEO Class-II, or Dredge Engineer Gr-II, or MEO Class-IV (FG) with 12 months’ experience, or MEO Class-III (NCV-SEO) with 12 months’ experience |
| 4th Engineer Officer | MEO Class-IV |
| Petty Officer (Dredging) | Ex-Chief Petty Officer / Petty Officer / Leading Seaman of the Survey Branch with Survey Recorder Class; or Ex-Chief Petty Officer / Leading Seaman from the Navigation Seamanship branch of the Indian Navy; or NWKO (NCV) holder; or Dredge Mate Grade-II holder; or GPR with at least 2 years’ experience as a tube operator on dredgers |
Fleet personnel are selected on interview alone, with a minimum qualifying score of 50 out of 100.
How you will be marked
For Trainee Marine Engineer and Trainee Electrical Officer the selection is out of 100 marks, and the split is unusually lopsided in favour of your academic record:
- 80 marks — percentage obtained in the prescribed qualification
- 20 marks — the interview
You must clear both components separately. For General and OBC candidates that is 50% of each: 40 out of 80 in the qualification and 10 out of 20 in the interview. For SC and ST candidates it is 45% of each: 36 out of 80 and 9 out of 20. A superb degree percentage will not carry you past a failed interview, and vice versa.
Candidates who hold Graduate Marine Engineering have their percentage calculated on the four-year engineering degree, not on the GME course.
NCV (T) is scored differently — 50% weightage for the SSC / 10th class marks and 50% weightage for the GPR Exit Examination. There is no interview component in that formula.
Stipend, and the five-year bond you should read before you travel
| Post | Stipend | Victualling allowance | On-board training |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee Marine Engineer | ₹25,000 per month | ₹600 per day | 6 months on board |
| Trainee Electrical Officer | ₹25,000 per month | ₹600 per day | 8 months on board |
| NCV (T) | ₹10,000 per month | ₹405 per day | 18 months on board |
Now the part that is easy to skim past. Candidates selected as Trainee Marine Engineer or Trainee Electrical Officer must execute a Bank Guarantee of ₹3,00,000 — or deposit the same amount with DCI — undertaking to serve DCI for five years after completing the training period and obtaining the CoC (for TMEs) or being posted as an ELO (for TELOs).
Three lakh rupees is a real commitment against a ₹25,000 monthly stipend, and it is the single biggest thing to settle in your own mind before the 6 November interview. The NCV (T) post carries no such bond in the advertisement.
What to carry on the day
Originals plus one self-attested photocopy set of every document. DCI is explicit that candidates who cannot produce them “will not be allowed for the Interview”.
Everybody must hold a valid Indian CDC, Passport, INDOS number and the basic STCW 2010 certificates.
Trainee Marine Engineer: 10th class / SSC certificate as date-of-birth proof; semester-wise mark sheets for all four years; the engineering degree or provisional degree certificate; STCW 2010 modular course certificates; CDC, INDOS and passport; community certificate if applicable; and, if your results are in CGPA or SGPA, the conversion certificate or methodology certified by the institute or university. GME holders must bring the mark sheets and degree certificate of their engineering degree as well.
Trainee Electrical Officer: the same list, plus the 12th class or diploma mark statement and the ETO course completion certificate from the DG Shipping approved institute.
Reserved-category candidates must bring the certificate in the Government of India proforma attached to the advertisement — Annexure A for SC/ST, Annexure B for OBC, Annexure D for EWS. OBC candidates need two documents, not one: the community certificate stating specifically that you are not in the creamy layer, and the separate self-declaration at Annexure C. A certificate issued in any language other than English must come with a signed, notarised English version.
EWS candidates need a valid Income and Asset Certificate in the Annexure D format, issued by one of the listed authorities — District Magistrate, Collector, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, a Revenue Officer not below the rank of Tahsildar, and so on. DCI states that no other proof will be accepted for an EWS claim.
How to apply
There is no portal. Download the bio-data proforma printed in the advertisement, or from DCI's careers page, fill it in, and bring it with your documents on the walk-in date. DCI puts it in capitals in the advertisement: “Candidates attending the walk-in interview under this advertisement need not apply online.”
Give a working email address and mobile number on the form. DCI treats a message sent to the email you supply as served on you “whether he views it or not”, and all further communication goes there.
If you are already DCI floating staff and have not signed off, you may appear by video conference with your Master's recommendation, but your CV and documents must reach recruitfs@dcil.co.in by 3 November 2026 at 15:00 hrs.
Points candidates get wrong
- These are contract posts. The advertisement says the vacancies are “purely of temporary contractual nature and will not give any right to the candidates to claim regular / permanent employment in Dredging Corporation of India in future”.
- Extra qualifications earn you nothing. DCI states that candidates holding qualifications over and above the essential ones “shall not be extended any added advantage”.
- Differently abled candidates need not apply. That is DCI's own wording in the advertisement, and it is the kind of condition you want to know before buying a train ticket to Visakhapatnam.
- Shortlisting may be applied. If too many people turn up, management reserves the right to set its own shortlisting criteria.
- Verification continues after joining. If an error or false statement is found even after training or employment begins, it can be terminated immediately.
- Jurisdiction is Visakhapatnam. Any dispute arising from this advertisement is settled in the Visakhapatnam courts only.
Beware of fake DCI job offers
DCI has carried a fraud warning with this advertisement. It states that individuals and self-declared agents have published fake advertisements, sent bogus call letters by email and demanded money from candidates. DCI recruits only through its HR department and does not solicit money from any candidate at any stage, beyond a prescribed application fee where one is advertised — and for this walk-in, none is. Anyone asking you to pay for a DCI interview call or a DCI posting is defrauding you.
Official documents
- Advertisement No. 04/2026 — full notification with bio-data proforma and Annexures A to D (PDF, 7 pages)
- DCI careers page — dredge-india.com/career
DCI asks candidates to check its careers page regularly for any notification, news, update or result relating to this recruitment. Queries: recruitfs@dcil.co.in or 0891-2871235 / 0891-2871245.