DG Shipping bars seafarers from sailing over CoC authenticity; livelihood at risk
Only eleven countries, including Malaysia, the UAE, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, Iran, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, are covered under the circular as per MRAs.
Representative Image (PTI)
MADURAI: Seafarers in the southern region of Tamil Nadu are struggling to make ends meet as new regulations imposed by the Director General of Shipping rendered several thousands of them jobless.
V Anandan Morais, president of the Seafarers Association and Chief Engineer, said a circular issued by the DG Shipping in July restricting the employment of seafarers holding Certificates of Competency (CoC) from countries that don’t have Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) with India, came as a shock to the seafaring community.
Only eleven countries, including Malaysia, the UAE, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, Iran, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, are covered under the circular as per MRAs.
Further, citing complaints about the authenticity of CoCs from some maritime authorities in the circular, several qualified seafarers, who possess legitimately acquired certifications, have been restricted.
An aggrieved seafarer, E Thennavan, who’s employed as ‘Third Engineer’, told DT Next on Sunday that he had been jobless for three months now and there’s no other source of income to cover his daily expenses. The seafarer of Punnaikayal, a coastal hamlet in Thoothukudi, expressed concern over managing his kids’ education expenses and loan payments.
Livio Fernandez, another seafarer (Chief Engineer), said it’s unfortunate that the employees were directed not to report to duty on very short notice, citing the authenticity of certificates. He wondered how certificates approved by the Indian Maritime Authority can be declared invalid.
Earlier, the Association approached the High Court of Bombay in view of the circular, which barred every seafarer holding CoCs from Honduras, Panama, and other countries from sailing.
They filed a petition before the High Court last month seeking to quash and set aside the circular issued by the DG Shipping, dated 18th July 2025, and sought a direction to the DG Shipping to restore the recognition of all foreign-issued CoCs and Certificate of Proficiency lawfully obtained by Indian seafarers before the operative date.
Morais said the representatives of the Association met Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Thoothukudi MP, and sought her intervention for an immediate solution, citing that the future of around 20,000 Indian seafarers, including 2,000 in south Tamil Nadu, remains uncertain.
