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What are the Benefits of Becoming a Member of the Maritime Union of India?

ByAnish Maritime Law

With the increasing number of professionals entering the maritime industry, it is important that there is an organization which protects and educates the rights of maritime professionals no matter where they are. Each country has its own maritime union or an organization which helps the seafarers with several important activities. In this article we will have a look at an organization – the maritime union of India and how this organization helps the seafarers of the country.

What is Maritime Union of India?

The maritime union of India is an association of Indian merchant navy officers. It was founded on the 3rd of December 1939 and since then is operated and governed by an autonomous non profitable body. The name- Maritime Union of India was adopted on 31st March 1944.

The Indian National Ship owner’s Association (INSA) is also a member of MUI. By a rule, all the officers working under INSA registered companies have to be a member of MUI.

If you are a seafarer from India, it is imperative that you become a member of the Maritime Union of India. There are several benefits of the same. To know how the maritime union can be useful, read the benefits below.

Benefits of becoming a member of MUI

seafarers

The following are the main benefits of becoming a member of MUI

1)   You can claim limited medical expenses for you and your immediate family (wife and kids) from MUI after producing documents required by the MUI.

2)    If you are sailing and your wife or kids are undergoing medical treatment or hospitalisation, your wife is eligible to claim the limited medical expenses after producing documents required by MUI.

3)   After the membership of MUI your COC is insured to provide financial support if there is a marine court of inquiry in India or Abroad.

4)   If required, you and your wife and kids can stay at convalescent home provided by MUI at some places with prior approval and booking.

5)   In your absence your wife can avail all the facilities.

6)   MUI is affiliated to organisation like -The international Transport Workers Federation (ITF) UK and Indian seafarers federation and thus in a difficult situation abroad MUI can extend a helping hand to its member.

7)   MUI provides guidance for matters which includes medical, legal and income tax matters to its members.

8)   A magazine is with all the news and latest information including articles, events and seminars comes as a quarterly subscription for members of MUI.

9)   In case of death or accident of officer onboard, MUI extends helping hand to the officer and family members for matters like claims and insurance.

10) If you are sailing in a vessel and your route changes to a war zone and piracy affected zone, then you can take help of MUI for immediate sign off without going to the danger zone.

To know more about the Maritime Union of India visit their website here.

References: mui

About Author

An ardent sailor and a techie, Anish Wankhede has voyaged on a number of ships as a marine engineer officer. He loves multitasking, networking, and troubleshooting. He is the one behind the unique creativity and aesthetics at Marine Insight.

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111 Comments

  1. Hi there! I was just seeking for some info on this topic. Does anyone know more good forums or other similar resources about this?

  2. Hello everyone! I was just seeking for some information on this topic. Does anyone know more good forums or other similar sites about this?

  6. hi, being as defense ground love in discipline and friendly behavior among seafarer,being in tough situation specially on board ship.

  7. Hi, myself 2nd engineer. Had met with an accident onboard 1 year 5 months back. Now the doctor has declared me unfit for sea. My mui membership expired this december. Is there anything that mui can help me with respect to compensation, job. Any inputs is highly appreciated.
    Thanks in advance.

  8. Dear Mr. Nathan,

    As per the MUI rules, you can claim any medical expenses within 1 year of your last sailing. Even to renew the membership, they will need the record of your last sailing. You can contact the MUI office for better assistance in this matter.

  9. Hi Anish, I m member of MUI and my wife delivered a baby boy, when I was sailing onboard,
    The expenses for hospitalisation during my absence,can I apply as insurance medical claim in MUI ?
    maternity benefits for spouse in mui mubai. plz suggest,thanxs in advance…

  10. Dear Girish,

    Yes, You can submit the claim with all the bills and hospital documents. The major requirements for approval of MUI claim are:
    – Active Member of MUI
    – The last sign off date of seafarer is within a period of 1 year of the claim.
    – The claim is subjected to a grace period of Three Months (please check with MUI), hence if you submit your claim after three months, it is likely to get rejected.

    You need to fill the forms and send it to MUI with original medical receipts (do take photocopy of all the documents for your reference). Check MUI website for more details: https://www.maritimeunionofindia.com/forms.html

    Do add your experience with MUI in the comment section

  12. Dear Arjun,

    Unfortunately, online payments are not yet available for membership. You need to pay at the office or you can send a cheque after talking to the officials in the MUI.

  13. I was an active meamber of mui till 2 years back but i could not submit the annual fees for last 2 years.Now,if myself will deposit the requisite fees,am I eligible for the maternity benefit from the union?Pls advice..thanx in advance

  15. As per my knowledge, IMU does not provide Loan of any kind. It does covers the medical expenses once you provide all the relevant bills to them within the required Timeline.

  16. sir i am a senior cadet {15 month exp} ,want to join mui ….can you plzz help me …how to become a member of mui ..thanks in advance

  17. Hi Anish, I m member of MUI and my wife delivered a baby girl how to apply medical claim in MUI ?
    maternity benefits for spouse in mui mubai. plz suggest,thanxs in advance…
    Best regards,

  18. @ Krishna Kant:

    The claim is subjected to a grace period of Three Months (please check with MUI), hence if you submit your claim after three months, it is likely to get rejected.

    You need to fill the forms and send it to MUI with original medical receipts (do take photocopy of all the documents for your reference). Check MUI website for more details: https://www.maritimeunionofindia.com/forms.html

    Better to give a Call to MUI and speak to them about your claim. They will guide your regarding the same.

    Do add your experience with MUI in the comment section

  19. dear anish,
    my friend met with an accident.suffered injuries an had to undergo a surgery.he is appearing for class 4 exams now.but he s not a member of MUI yet.is it possible to claim any amount at this stage??

  20. Dear Anish
    I am an active member of MUI and sailing now. And my father had under gone a surgery two months before ,since i am single can i apply for the hospital expenses ? He is 71 years old and he did not work in government sector. kindly help me out regarding the same.

  21. @ Saihari:

    The Claim is applicable for existing members and it has a time limitation of 3 months (grace period) from the date of discharge from the hospital.

  22. @ Saravanan:

    As per my understanding of MUI rules- parents, brothers, sisters and relatives are not entitled for claims. Talk with MUI office for clarifications.

  23. sir i hav seaservice 2 year as electrical off. how can i join MUI. where i can contact.

  25. I was an active member of mui till 3 years back but i could not submit the annual fees for last 2 years.Now,if myself will deposit the requisite fees,am I eligible for the maternity benefit from the union? Plz ls advice..thank in advance

  26. @ Balasubramanian,

    You need to be actively sailing (last sailing less then 1 year of claim) and You can only claim for those dates which are within the active membership period.

  27. My brother was seafarer and he died in a bike accident one year ago. If he was a member at MUI, can we get benefit of his insurance.

  29. I am a member of MUI , what is the procedure for booking convalegent homes , its mentioned that one has to be a FOSMA member , Please elaborate on this .

  30. dear sir
    i m an active member of mui.
    can i claim my dental medical expense through mailing scanned copies of originals without going to the mui office since it is very far from my place.
    your rply will be highly appreciated
    regards !

  31. dear sir i am serving as electrical officer and active member with M U I.
    i thank union for sanctioning my mediclaim.
    since i am interested in doing bridge E TO course i would like to know any such course,
    is recommended thru union
    regards & thanks

  32. hi…
    my wife is expecting. how can I claim the refund of the medical expenses?
    and what is the maximum limit for the refund?
    thanks. .

  33. I done Gp rating from HIMT CHENNAI I HAVE NO JOB CAN YOU HELP ME FOR JOB AND HOW TO JOIN IN YOUR SITE

  34. Hi Anish,

    Can u please tell me as to how much of the maternity expenses can be claimed. I mean what percentage of the total expense does generally get cleared.

    Suraj
    1AE

  35. @ Suraj: There are no set guidelines for- “what will be approved”. With my own experience, I can say about 70-80%.

  36. Sir,

    My mother was hospitalized for stroke October last year. I had to join the vessel while she was in the hospital and my wife was also not in station for submitting the medical reimbursement. Can I submit it now. Is dependent mother eligible for medical expense reimbursement.

    Kindly clarify. Thanks in advance.

    KK Samuel
    3rd Eng

  37. @KK Samuel:
    Only the immediate family members (in your case- Wife and children) are eligible for medical claim. Their is also a claim period beyond which any claim will not be accepted.

  38. Good day sir,
    I’m sailing as chief officer n active member of mui since 2007 or 2008.I signed off this year in month of june, n my wife under went surger in July n claimed the medical expenses of more than 2 lakhs.but till now I have not received one rupees of part compensation even.mui is saying ur company did not pay contribution for you so we will not relase ur claim.spoke to company then company is saying,go n talk to them.with same im tired,now left hope.

    Pls advise what to be done in this case

    Rgds

  42. Dear Mr. Anish,

    Please Advise How Long it Takes to get Medical Claims from MUI Specially Maternity Claims.
    Can Maternity Claims be Claimed in the First Year itself of Becoming Member.
    they Have Floating Officer’s Trust & Merchant Navy Officers trust. Do I need to Register myself to them as well
    for Medical Claims in later stage or just with MUI is enough & I am Elligible for the Claims

    Please Advise
    rattan Kaushik
    Ch. Officer.

  43. @ Ratan: It will generally take 30-60 days.
    Yes you can raise a claim. The only requirement is the last sailing period should fall within a year in your CDC. It also has a time limitation of 3 months (grace period) from the date of discharge from the hospital.
    If you are active member of MUI, You are eligible enough for raising claim.

  44. hi i have joined MUI 6 months back. last week my wife delivered a baby boy. so now am i eligible to Maternity claims?? please advice..

  45. Yes you are. You need to send all the original bills + MUI claim forms to their office along with copy of your CDC

  46. Hi Mr. Anish,

    Thanks for the Reply. Just Clarify this also, they Have Floating Officer’s Trust & Merchant Navy Officers trust. Do I need to Register myself to them as well for Medical Claims in later stage or just with MUI is enough.

    Please Advise
    rattan Kaushik
    Ch. Officer.

  47. @Ratan: No need for any additional membership for The floating Officer’s Trust & Merchant Navy Officers trust. These are trusts established to serve Merchant navy officers who are members of MUI. They are interrelated.

  48. Sir,
    1.How will i get the members log in id for mui site.?

    2.Can u please guide me how to claim for maternity expense and to which adress i should send the orginal bills?
    3. How can i check the validity date of my membership?

  49. Please suggest, I am MUI member, working in synergy as electrical officer. I am not married (single) this time can I get my mother medical expenses.

  50. I don’t think so. If unmarried, medical expenses can be claimed if you are the patient. Please check with MUI staff once: +91-22-22613052

  52. Hi guys, wanna vacations with family members in goa,is there any guest house available for seafarers.

    Thanks in advance.

  53. good morning sir …i have indian cdc….and i am working in ship from 2010 to until now…but due to my negligancy .i have not membarship in union…now i want to join in your union….please advice me what shall i do now? thanka&best regsrds

  54. Good morning sir i joined MUI on 1st june 2016. I like to know if all members of MUI are eligible medical claim. If no, what is the terms and conditions.

  55. Yes all members of MUI are eligible for certain medical claims provided they are actively sailing (Stamps on CDC and passport) and the claim procedure is requested under time limits. For further queries please post it in the forums :https://forums.marineinsight.com/

  56. My brother passed away on board a ship in November 2016. He was a menber of MUI. His company is following up with P & I for settling all claims.
    Please advise what kind of assistance, financial or otherwise MUI can provide in this regard.

  58. Hi, I am a new grad or a trainee deck cadet . And it become impossible for me to serve onboard because wherever I go every company say we don’t recruit deck cadet and some ask for money. And it is too much for a deck cadet who can’t pay agents. I want to ask that it is helpful for a cadets like me.

  61. Hi Anish,

    Can u please tell me as to how much of the maternity expenses can be claimed. what is the procedure for claim,.

  62. @Pranay: You need to contact the MUI office to understand the latest upper limit for the claim. As far as I know, you get 80% to 90% of the claimed amount.

  63. I am register with MUI on oct 2017 .how can i book guest house in lonavala.whom do i contact .is there any online service available to book guest house.

  65. Good day Anish

    My wife delivered a baby boy… and she has Send all d copy of bills + mui form + copy of CDC … she was nt aware of original bill … it’s been 20 days of courier .. but didn’t get any information regarding claim… plz just clear my confusion of original n copy of bills….

  66. @Raghu : They need original copies of the bills and if you are sending the photocopy, you need the seal of the hospital (attestation).
    You can directly call the MUI and ask regarding your claim process. It usually takes more than a month for MUI to release the claim amount.

  67. Hi.. I am Abishek . I have completed B.E Marine in 2017 without any backlogs. Past 9 months i was searching for job(TME). i went to all the companies and submitted my resume, but no response. Many agents are asking money ( 4.5 to 5 lakhs). I dont know whom to trust. Please anyone help me. I studied by personal loan(10lakhs). Interest has been started from 2013 itself. I dont know what to do. Please anyone suggest me something.

    Thnks in advance.
    Abishek

  68. dear anish sir, i want to ask about the 60% of money refund,, in case 0f any nusi member son\daughter done any course , so nusi refund the money to the sailor. if yes so tell me can i get the refund money if i am member of nusi and i am done course gp rating and i already done a sail as a G.S after done course ccmc in 2015. thanku you

  69. @Manish: I am not aware of the NUSI regulations you mentioned as I personally never been a part of it.

  70. Respected sir,
    Sir I am last three years I was a member, how can I claim my wife maternity expenses plse advice me. And for my girl kid three years old going to join school any claims is there thanks for your good work

  71. @Jayakodiswaran: If you are a current member of MUI, you can fill the claim form (available in MUI website) and you can fill the maternity details along with original bills and send it to them. Do note that The claim has a time limit of 3 months from the date of discharge from the hospital.

    MUI only assist in medical claims. You cannot avail educational benefits from them.

  72. What does active sailing means?… I am 2nd off in foreign company and valid member of MUI, but after Renewel of membership in 2017 June due to personnel issues and document Renewel like passport, CDC ,US visa.. Etc I didn’t sailed for last one year and will be joing back in June 2018 as Second. Please confirm whether I am eligible for maternity claim as wife delivered on 15th May 2018. My membership valid till 30th June 2018.

  73. @Rakesh: If you are still pursuing your career in shipping as a seafarer and have valid MUI membership, you can raise the claims. You are eligible to get a maximum of INR 50,000 as maternity benefit claim.

    The claim should be raised within 90 days of discharge date and it usually takes a month or two to receive the money.

  74. Sir, i paid fees for 3 years and money got deducted from my account. But when i log in to my account i see that its still showing pending. What to do sir ?

  75. Dear Ashish ,

    I am sailing as a Master on Oil.Chemical Tankers & am a MUI Member since 2005.

    Recently my wife was asked to do certain tests for cancer , which we have done. Fortunately everythting is alright & she has not been diagnosed with any kind of cancer.

    As a MUI Member , can I avail the medical benefit facility or the reimbursement from the club , since the bills are very heavy.

    Kindly advise

  76. What is maximum compensation money for health claim.
    How to log in the account to see payment details.?

  77. Hi Anish,

    In terms of employment how will MUI help me to get employment. My previous company havent pay my wages for 9 months and gave me a cheque and then stopped the cheque payment

  78. You should approach MUI and they can be very useful if the company you were working for is an MUI member. You can also lodge a police complaint on the basis of stop cheque payment.

  79. Sir
    My wife delivered on 25 Oct 2018 it was normal delivery, my wife went to claim in Union office in goa they told her that only surgery u can claim not normal. Can we claim for normal delivery? Sir please reply

  81. Good day Anish ,
    This is in reference for medical benefits for maternity , I had submitted all original documents to mfswt but they rejected the saying please contact your company I.e. damico ships ishima India Pvt Ltd for medical rembursement , please tell me if it’s mandatory for the company to be registered with mfswt for claiming medical benefits .

  82. @Manish: The company you are working for has to be registered with the MUI as they are the major fund contributors.

  85. I am home since last 15 months for Class 2 exam purpose. Can I claim my wifes maternity expenses?

  86. Jaine: Please contact MUI and provide the details of your current condition. If you still have active MUI membership, you might get the claim.

  87. good morning sir I have a doubt about for maternity claim which address I have to send original bills please clarify & three forms available for maternity claim registration form, hospital treatment form, day care form.in day care form again repeating things in hospital treatment form like surgeon fees, operation theatre fees etc. Please clarify that and how to fill the day care forms thanks

  88. @Jaya: PLease send it to the address printed on the form itself and fill the details applicable to you.

  89. I have been sailing since 1977 and an active member of mui with membership fees paid till 32 St Dec 2019.
    I may be taking retirement now.
    Will I be eligible for medical claim here after if I pay my membership fees regularly

  90. @Gurjit: One of the requirement for the claim process is that you need to be an active sailor. For that, they check your CDC for the last sailing date (which should be no more than 1 year). You can also confirm the same with MUI once.

  91. Hi Anish
    It’s been around 2 months I have put for medical claim for my wife treatment. All documents are in order but still I have not received any positive response apart from assurance that claim is in process. Please if you can help then highly appreciated.

  92. @Nitin: Unfortunately, there is no follow up system where you can track the claim status. It may take up to 3 or more months for money to get into your account.

  93. Dera sir….
    I am Hari, I am fresher in this merchant Navy field ,one of the RPSL Mumbai he cheated me…he takened 3 lak 50 thousand Indian currency.. he told one ship and another small GRT ship entered in my indos , but me worked in another ship, that rpsl don’t gave any insurance and contract document, now IAM in Iran here also not did any contract….please help me….

  95. My mother surgery hospitals treatment. Can i calim?

    I am still mui member.pls help

  97. Dear Sir,

    Mr. Parimal More is member of MUI since 2010 but he is at home since August 2017. His membership of MUI valid till 31December 2017. Mr. Parimal More is expired on 13/08/2019 due to brain stroke. Now his wife will receive any claim from MUI.

  98. @pranali: Sorry to hear about Mr. Parimal. Unfortunately, you need to have a valid MUI policy for claims. Also, MUI does not provide Life insurance hence this condition is not valid.

  99. Hi, What are benefits for wife’s delivery treatment? What are the procedures to claim for it?

  100. You can claim the hospitalisation bill within two months of the discharge date. You need to fill and send the form along with original bills with hospital stamp. Please contact MUI and ask the procedure -https://mfswt.com/

  101. Hi sir,
    I have finished my STSTDS course through perunthalaivar kamaraj institute at kadaloor ,tamilnadu.
    Due to an issue with that institute my certificate has been not valid.
    Now I finished that course at other institute and send it to dgs.
    Is there any problem to sail for me?
    My sailing at december.please advice me

  102. The certificates from all such insititutes which are being shut down by DG will be invalid. You will not face any issue if you do a course from an approved institute.

  103. dear sir, i am a member of mui, my son is doing b.tech in c.s, can i get some benefit from mui towards tuition fees and how much ?

  105. HI i am expecting and due will be in June 2020 my husband DOJ was 2-Jan-2020 so can i claim in absendce of him i mean he will be on board till sep 20 and to whom should i call to clear all my doubts any contact no or mail id if you have plz share

  106. Dear Anish,
    Myself third officer.I have submitted MUI membership registration form and payed fees through online on 6th April 2020 and i got the membership card online after 4 months on 20th August 2020 by continuously contacting MUI cochin office.My wife gave birth to baby on 21st April 2020.Since I got membership card only after 4 months of applying and due to corona pandemic situation I couldn’t claim for maternity.Am I eligible for maternity claim and can I send all regarding documents to MUI?
    TIA

  107. Hi Midhun

    Please contact the MUI office and explain it to them. The usual limit to apply for any claim is 3 months from the date if discharge.

  108. Hi I’m from SCI… I’m working as third engineer .hence I’m a regular candidate I think my company registers my imu membership, how can I know whether my name is registered in imu or not.. Please let me know.

  110. Dear sir,
    I am active member of MUI for years,sailing in Executive ship mgmt as chief officer.want to know if I get medical coverage for my father illness and hospital treatment for cancer .
    If so kindly advise the guidance.
    Thank you
    Kapil sharma

  111. Hi Kapil. The cover is for the immediate family, i.e. for wife and children. You can still clarify with the MUI by calling them.

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