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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
D G Shipping rolls out verification process to weed out seafarers holding fraudulent certificates
Advt Advt By , ETInfra Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. Allaying concerns over loss of jobs due to its July circular, the Directorate General of Shipping has stated that Indian seafarers are not being debarred or disqualified from sailing per se and can continue to sail in their respective ranks based on the genuine qualification certificates provided their documentation is found to be in assess the authenticity of certificates issued to Indian seafarers by foreign maritime administrations that are not recognised by India, the D G Shipping has put in place a verification process. The move comes in the wake of concerns expressed by unions that the circular issued by the maritime regulator on July 18 would hurt thousands of seafarers' employed on foreign flagged a validation process aimed at weeding out Indian seafarers holding fraudulently obtained Certificate of Competency (CoC) and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP), India's maritime regulator has asked the affected seafarers to submit their original training and certification records through the D G Shipping-approved Recruitment and Placement Service License (RPSL) agents who have hired them on the last documents to be submitted includes CoC/CoP issued by state parties which are not recognised by India, STCW modular courses relevant to the CoC/CoP, competency course relevant to the CoC and seagoing service records with copies of the Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) showing the relevant sea service preceding the issuance of the CoC/CoP, according to an addendum issued by the D G Shipping on August documents and records have to be submitted along with a notarised affidavit, duly sworn and signed by the seafarer, attesting their RPSL agents have been asked to submit a separate case file for each seafarer along with the documents and records to the D G Shipping within 30 days.A Committee notified by the D G Shipping will then undertake verification of the seafarers' certificates and assess the authenticity of the certificates issued by the foreign administrations and training providers.'If the documents are found to be genuine and meeting the requirements of the STCW Convention, then the seafarers' shall be permitted to join vessels immediately. If not, the reports will be forwarded to the concerned maritime administration for cancellation of CoC/CoP and the RPSL agency and the seafarer will be duly informed about the action being initiated,' Capt Ravi Singh Sikarwar, Nautical Surveyor-cum-DDG (Technical) wrote in the August 5 D G Shipping reiterated that its July 18 circular 'does not impose any blanket restriction or prohibition on seafarers from continuing their employment or sailing'.'The circular merely mandates verification of certificates of the seafarers by the RPSL agency, holding qualifications from certain foreign administrations, in the interest of safeguarding maritime safety and regulatory compliance. The seafarers are not being debarred or disqualified from sailing per se; they can continue to sail in their respective ranks based on the genuine CoC/CoP, provided their documentation is found to be in order. The intent of the circular is purely regulatory and preventive, aimed at identifying and acting against fraudulent practices, without causing undue hardship to genuine seafarers,' the regulator D G Shipping said it has received representation from seafarers' unions on the July 18 circular, expressing their concern and the need to have a validation process for seafarers with genuine certificates.'At the same time, all the industry associations and the seafarers' unions expressed support for the cleanup efforts of the DGS and stressed that action should be taken against persons holding fraudulent certificates ,' the D G Shipping added.
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
D-G Shipping crackdown, shipbuilding tensions & port concessions: What was important in the week gone by!
Advt Advt India's bid to grab a larger slice of the seafarers required by the global shipping industry has, of late, been dented by reports of unapproved private entities offering competency certificates that does not fit with the training and assessment standards set by India following a structured programme of examination, assessment and certification, as per a global treaty known as the STCW Convention adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).The Indian seafarers were lured by authorised as well as unauthorised manning agents to take up assignments on foreign flagged ships without adequate scrutiny of the fraudulent certificates issued to curb the fraudulent practices, India's Directorate General of Shipping issued an order on July 18, banning Indian seafarers holding certificates issued by the maritime administration of countries that are not recognised by India from sailing on foreign flagged order, though, sparked widespread protests over fears that it would render thousands of seafarers jobless and led to a court August 1, the day when the Bombay High Court heard the petition filed by a couple of seafarers, the D G Shipping issued a new order prohibiting foreign governments, maritime administrations, agencies, institutions, or representatives from conducting maritime training, including online or distance learning accessible in India, leading to issuance of seafarers' competency certificates under the STCW Convention, without its prior written new order strikes at the very root of the malaise and is not seen as overtly hitting the seafarers, some of whom might have wittingly or unwittingly fallen for the trap, in their desire to get jobs on board ships, and took a shortcut to attain competency certificates. It also seeks to rectify the situation by asking the unauthorised private entities to fall in line with Indian Infra reported in detail the moves by D G Shipping aimed at ensuring that India becomes a bigger supplier of quality crew to the global shipping other significant developments of the week, we reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's ambitious plans for India's shipbuilding industry are facing resistance from local fleet owners due to reasons explained in this that hasn't deterred policy makers from finalising the technical specifications for constructing so-called Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC's) India's oil and gas giant, ONGC Ltd, is scouting for local shipyards to build so-called Platform Supply Vessels that are used to support oil and gas drilling operations along the Nayara Energy is being squeezed from all sides as the latest round of sanctions by the EU on the refiner based in Gujarat has forced a couple of Indian ship owners to back out of contracts for hauling petroleum products along the coastET Infra also reported how the Andhra Pradesh government led by N Chandrababu Naidu facilitated a key captive port facility for the integrated steel plant proposed by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India by tweaking the concession agreement for the Kakinada Gateway Port Let us know what stood out most this week and how we can make your infra brief even more insightful.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt bans maritime training in India by foreign administrations without D G Shipping nod
Advt Advt The Directorate General of Shipping has prohibited foreign governments, maritime administrations, agencies, institutions, or representatives from conducting maritime training, including online or distance learning accessible in India, leading to issuance of seafarers' competency certificates under the STCW Convention without its prior written approval, the country's maritime regulator said in an found violating the directive will be liable for regulatory and legal action, including blacklisting of Indian institutions or agents or seafarers involved, and they would be referred to the enforcement authorities under the Merchant Shipping Act and the Information Technology Act, the D G Shipping wrote in an order issued on certifications or training outcomes arising from such unauthorized courses will be Convention refers to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).The STCW Convention mandates that each member state of the IMO shall ensure that seafarers onboard ships are qualified and fit for their duties, to ensure the safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine STCW Convention also mandates that certificates for masters, officers, or ratings should be issued only to candidates who meet the requirements for service, age, medical fitness, training, qualifications, and examinations, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the already conducting STCW Courses leading to the issuance of STCW Certificate of Competency (CoC) or Certificate of Proficiency (CoP), including short duration modular courses on behalf of foreign maritime administrations have been directed to stop all such training with immediate effect and submit details to D G Shipping for scrutiny and further owners, ship managers, approved Maritime Training Institutes (MTIs), Recruitment and Placement Service License (RPSL) companies and related stakeholders have been advised not to collaborate with unapproved foreign training providers and to report such offers or attempts to the administrations intending to conduct maritime training in India must submit a formal proposal to the Directorate seeking prior order is issued in the interest of maintaining the sanctity, sovereignty and international credibility of India's maritime training system and to ensure that no Indian seafarer receives substandard or unregulated training from unauthorized foreign sources, the D G Shipping wrote in the education and training provided to Indian seafarers are required to meet strict national and international standards as prescribed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and enforced by the Directorate ensures compliance with the STCW Convention and is responsible for safeguarding the quality and credibility of seafarer training in India.'It has been brought to the attention of this Directorate that certain foreign governments, maritime administrations and their representatives have authorized private training centres for conducting maritime training courses leading to issuance of STCW Certificate of Competency (CoC) and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) within Indian territory,' it many of the private training centres claiming to have authorization from foreign maritime administrations do not have approval of the Director General of activities are unauthorised and in contravention of Indian law and international obligations and they undermine the regulatory authority of the Indian maritime administration, the D G Shipping it as a 'well drafted order' by the D G Shipping, Capt Sanjay Prashar , CEO, V R Maritime Services Pvt Ltd, said that all such institutes and seafarers undergoing courses from them will be blacklisted by the D G Shipping and legal action will be initiated.'This order saves jobs and increases jobs also. This is a game changer for Indian seafarers. Quality now is the name of the game,' Capt Prashar stated, adding that some 159 D G Shipping approved maritime training institutes can be tapped by foreign administrations for conducting courses and issuing CoC/ is the second attempt by the D G Shipping in less than two weeks to curb the practice of seafarers obtaining Certificate of Competency (CoC) and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) from foreign administrations through what it calls 'fraudulent' July 18, the D G Shipping issued a circular that barred Indian seafarers holding certificates issued by maritime administrations of countries that are not recognised by India from sailing on foreign flagged move, though, sparked widespread criticism over fears that thousands of Indian seafarers would lose jobs. It led a couple of seafarers to file a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking to reverse the circular issued by the maritime Thursday, hundreds of seafarers, under the banner of the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI), staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Directorate General of Shipping demanding withdrawal of the July 18 FSUI said that thousands of Indian seafarers will face career disruption, disqualification, and financial insecurity due to the circular which will increase the burden of compliance, due diligence, and legal ambiguity for RPSL agencies and shipping companies.'The August 1 order appears to be a better move by D G Shipping to check fraudulent certificates and practices unlike the July 18 order which has been challenged in courts,' said an industry official.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
D G Shipping urged to roll back circular barring crew holding certificates through fraudulent means from sailing
Advt Advt By , ETInfra Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. Pressure is building up on the Directorate General of Shipping to scrap its July 18 circular that barred Indian seafarers holding certificates issued by the maritime administration of countries that are not recognised by India from sailing on foreign flagged ships The D G Shipping circular was aimed at curbing the practice of seafarers obtaining Certificate of Competency (CoC) and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) from foreign administrations through what it calls 'fraudulent' much as 80 per cent of the Indian seafarers are employed on foreign flagged move, though, has sparked widespread criticism over fears that thousands of Indian seafarers would lose expected, at least a couple of individuals have filed petitions in court seeking to reverse the circular issued by the maritime Thursday, hundreds of seafarers, under the banner of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Directorate General of Shipping demanding withdrawal of the has opposed the new regulatory directive that mandates Indian seafarers recruited by Recruitment and Placement Services License (RPSL) agencies for working on foreign-flagged vessels to possess a valid Certificate of Competency (CoC) or Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) issued only by an Indian maritime authority, or countries with mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with India such as Malaysia, the UAE, South Korea, Sweden, UK and Indian Seafarers holding CoC/CoP and modular course certificates issued by Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland may be accepted for recruitment if the certificates were obtained by attending training in these countries.'The circular further excludes CoCs issued by several International Maritime Organisation (IMO) white-listed countries like Panama, Liberia, Honduras, Belize, Bahamas, and Cook Islands directly threatening the employability of thousands of Indian seafarers, many of whom possess legitimately acquired certifications from these jurisdictions,' said Manoj Yadav, General Secretary, Forward Seamen's Union of the mandate to verify the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers), 1978 ( STCW Convention ) certificates only from D G Shipping approved institutes has created significant barriers and fears of disqualification, even among genuinely trained professionals, Yadav FSUI reckons that thousands of Indian seafarers will face career disruption, disqualification, and financial insecurity due to the circular which will increase the burden of compliance, due diligence, and legal ambiguity for RPSL agencies and shipping the order would risk closure of maritime training institutes outside the D G Shipping approval list while potentially creating tensions with flag states whose certifications are now deemed non-compliant, raising diplomatic FSUI has submitted a representation to the D G Shipping seeking roll back of the July circular as well as its 2023 order stipulating age norms for ships for saving thousands of seafarer jobs. The representation also sought protection of seafarers abandoned at foreign ports, grant access to shore leave for all seafarers visiting Indian ports and provide pension benefits to a meeting with the Additional Director General of Shipping, FSUI urged the maritime administration to scrap the July circular but was told that no decision can be taken since the matter was sub to the D G Shipping, Indian seafarers have been lured by authorised as well as unauthorised RPSL agents to take up assignments on foreign flagged ships without adequate scrutiny of the fraudulent certificates issued to of the fraudulent CoC/CoP holders were found in possession of STCW course certificates issued by maritime training institutes which have not been accorded approval by the D G Shipping.'There have been Port State Control (PSC) intervention on vessels wherein engagement of seafarers with fraudulent CoCs/CoPs, and STCW course certificates have been noted with concern. As a prudent maritime administration, the Directorate General of Shipping initiated a detailed inquiry into these acts of agents and touts operating both within and outside the country,' the July 18 circular issued by the regulator inquiry revealed that seafarers sailing as ratings were lured with promises of being eligible to be issued with higher-grade Certificates of Competency (CoC) and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) from foreign administrations through fraudulent means.'Fraudulent agents have been offering 'package' of delivering course certificates issued by institutes that were not approved by the Directorate General of Shipping, and the foreign CoC/CoP without any course being conducted. The inquiry had revealed that these maritime institutes did not even exist at the stated addresses,' the D G Shipping the serious nature of these violations, which undermine the fundamental principles and objectives of the STCW Convention and Rules framed under the Merchant Shipping Act, the Directorate has initiated necessary actions including the filing of criminal complaints, confiscation of such fraudulently obtained certificates, and informing the issuing authority with a request to initiate cancellation of certificates by recent times, several Certificates of Competency (CoCs) issued by a few administrations have been confiscated by the D G Shipping, as part of the investigation and identified during Port State Control inspections.'These activities which are attributable to a few unscrupulous agents has not only caused disruption to the lives of seafarers who are facing investigation by the authorities but has the potential to cause more damages in the future if not suitably addressed at this stage,' the D G Shipping wrote in the the FSUI has said that the ship age norms were issued by the D G Shipping in 2023 without a comprehensive study by a competent authority.'No data was provided regarding its impact on the strategic shipping sector, EXIM trade, or the potential loss of jobs. Although the order was later sent for review, the report is still pending. We strongly submit that India, as a developing nation, cannot afford the loss of seafarers' jobs or tonnage. While amendments to enhance vessel safety, marine environments, and seafarers' welfare are welcome, they should not jeopardize thousands of livelihoods,' Yadav pointed union has also asked the D G Shipping to take action for curbing the rising instances of Indian seafarers being abandoned across the world by unscrupulous shipping companies and RPSL agents. These workers are left without food, wages, legal support, or repatriation resulting in a humanitarian crisis demanding urgent resolution, it be sure, the government has incorporated stringent provisions in the Merchant Shipping Bill, currently before Parliament, to deal with the abandonment of Indian seafarers at foreign FSUI also highlighted that despite international norms, Indian seafarers often face denial of shore leave upon reaching destination ports, affecting their mental well-being and violating basic human rights. It has demanded a uniform, humane policy to permit shore leave in line with international union has also urged the government to roll out a nationwide seafarers' pension scheme recognising their service to national and global the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the D G Shipping to call a meeting of all relevant stakeholders, including trade unions, manning agents, training institutes, and maritime employers to discuss and resolve the critical issues in a time-bound manner, FSUI warned that seafarers would be compelled to consider industrial action to protect their livelihoods, dignity, and future if concrete steps are not taken within a reasonable time frame.
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Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Business Standard
Maritime incidents involving India and its seafarers rose 22% in 2024
Incidents in the maritime sector involving Indian seafarers, and foreign vessels in Indian waters rose by 21.6 per cent in 2024 to 186, highlighting the need to strengthen safety frameworks. According to India's shipping regulator Directorate General (DG) of Shipping, the incidents resulted in 83 deaths and 61 injuries. 'The majority of deaths were linked to other casualties, highlighting the need for crew welfare focus. Timely reporting and preventive actions remain crucial to minimise risks and safeguard lives. Continuous monitoring and corrective measures are essential to strengthen maritime safety standards,' DG Shipping said in its Maritime Safety Investigation Report 2024.
