| Subject: Additional Examination Centers - commencement of Marine | |
| 1. The Directorate General of Shipping has been receiving requests for quite sometime from candidates as well as merchant navy officers association, and training institutes to increase the number of centres for conducting written and oral examinations so as to reduce avoidable financial burden and delays in completing the examination process, faced by the candidates. 2. Some years back, the Directorate had declared MMD, Noida and Cochin as examination centers for conducting examinations and recently the MMDs at Goa and Visakhapatnam have also been declared as examination centres, with applicable restrictions. 3. Further, there have been representations from candidates with respect to overcrowding and waiting periods in certain declared assessment centers. The matter has been examined with concern and in order to address this issue, the Director General of Shipping, as an interim measure, hereby declares additional examination centers, where approved examiners of the Engineering discipline are presently posted, to conduct only oral examinations for MEO Class IV grade of examinations and to issue various other endorsements under the guidance of the applicable main assessment center (main assessment centres are all those which are currently holding both written and oral examination for MEO Class IV grade of examination) 4. Following needs to be complied with regard to appearing for the oral function of the MEO Class IV grade of examination. .1 Candidates must have completed their modular courses and be in compliance with the requirements towards eligibility for the grade of examination. .2 Assessment and booking of Class IV part 'B' grade of examination (both for written and oral functions) will only be at the main assessment centers i.e., the MMDs at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin and Visakhapatnam. .3 The schedule for assessment and booking will be released by these main assessment centers, as necessary. .4 All those candidates who are eligible for examination and have appeared for written examination once and are desirous of appearing for oral examination at the MMD of their choice can do so, provided; (a) the said MMD has an approved engineering examiner for MEO Class IV grade of examination; & (b) the applicable main assessment centre is approached in person or by e-mail / speed post around seven days before the candidate intends to appear for the orals for forwarding his / her application to the respective examination centre. E-mail ID and addresses of all MMDs are annexed. .5 The list of MMDs which have been declared now as additional examination centers is listed at paragraph 5 below and the same will be updated from time to time: 5. Name of additional examination centers for conducting MEO Class IV Grade of Examination (oral function only) are: .1 Mercantile Marine Department, Goa .2 Mercantile Marine Department, Haldia .3 Mercantile Marine Department, Paradip .4 Mercantile Marine Department, Port Blair 6. Candidates who opt to appear for oral functions at the MMD approved for conducting only oral examinations are to be given preference in terms of booking their examination date. 7. Candidates appearing for Orals at MMD, Goa (under MMD, Mumbai) / Port Blair, Haldia & Paradip (under MMD, Kolkata) may deposit fees by way of a demand draft payable at Mumbai and Kolkata as the case may be, comprising of the component of Examination fees payable on account of Orals only. The said fees shall be recorded and processed by the MMD, Goa / Port Blair, Paradip & Haldia as per normal accounting norms of the Government. On completion of the oral exams at MMD, Goa/ Port Blair / Haldia / Paradip, the examiner shall forward the processed forms / result sheet, etc as applicable to their counterparts at MMD, Mumbai or MMD, Kolkata as the case may be , within 6 working days of completion of the oral exams, for further necessary action. This arrangement is introduced to help "only-orals" candidates who would like to avoid waiting periods for completion of their examination at MMD, Mumbai / Kolkata. 8. It is envisaged that repeater candidates for MEO Class IV grade of examination (i.e., those candidates who have already appeared at least once for written examination or have passed the written examination) can avail of the above facility for appearing for their oral examination in the additional centers approved for examining only oral functions. 9. This Merchant Shipping Notice comes in to effect from 15thFebruary 2011 and in the mean-time, it is desired that necessary working modalities and procedures are developed and proposals for approval of external examiners (as already conveyed earlier) are processed on fast track basis by all the concerned Mercantile Marine Departments. 10. The additional examination centers shall also render services to applicants for revalidation of the Certificate of Competency issuance of endorsements for dangerous cargo, etc under the supervision and guidance of the controlling Principal Officer. They also need to make necessary arrangements with respect to having own infrastructure, manpower and necessary paraphernalia for the smooth conduct of written examination and subsequent declaration of results as full fledged examination center and then submit their proposal to Directorate General of Shipping, Engineering Branch for approval as examination centres. 11. In case it is observed that difficulties are being faced by the candidates, the same should be brought to the notice of the Chief Examiner of Engineers, with remedial comments of the Principal Officer. 12. Any clarification in this regard may be sought from the Chief Examiner of Engineers of the Directorate. This Merchant Shipping Notice is subject to annual and periodical review. This issues with the approval of the Director General of Shipping and ex-officio Additional Secretary to the Govt. of India.
(D. Mehrotra) |
