DG Shipping to verify crew certificates to protect jobs
A writ petition too has been filed in the Bombay High Court
The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) is verifying foreign-issued crew certificates for their authenticity to prevent job losses in the sector.
The planned exercise follows protests from seafarer unions against DGS’s July 18 order that restricts ship owners from engaging persons holding certificates of competency (COC) and certificates of proficiency (COP) issued by Central American countries such as Honduras and Panama.
A writ petition too has been filed in the Bombay High Court.
Data collected by DGS from recruitment agencies shows that around 3,800 seafarers hold certificates issued by maritime authorities that have no agreement with India for mutual recognition of the certificates.
Around 2,000 of these certificates are of officer rank and 80 per cent of them have been issued by Honduras, a source said.
On Tuesday, DGS asked the impacted seafarers to submit complete training and certification records. “If the documents are found to be genuine and meeting requirements of international convention then the seafarers will be permitted to join vessels immediately and if not the reports will be forwarded to concerned maritime administration for cancellation of COCs and COPs,” the DGS said in its order.
The DGS July 18 order was aimed to curb malpractices in recruitment and prevent seafarers from getting duped or abandoned at sea. The action was initiated after a probe revealed that unapproved entities and institutes were issuing CoCs. In many instances ratings or junior seamen obtained CoCs of the rank of captain or chief officers through fraud.
Published on August 5, 2025
