India Bans Use of Suspicious Foreign Maritime Licenses

India’s maritime regulator has prohibited local shipowners and licensed crewing agents from hiring Indian seafarers who hold certificates issued by certain flag-of-convenience states, following serious concerns over certification fraud.

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has instructed recruitment and placement service license holders (RPSLs) to stop deploying Indian nationals carrying certificates of competency (CoCs) or proficiency (CoPs) issued by unverified foreign maritime authorities, including those from Belize, Honduras, Togo, Gabon, and similar registries.

The directive follows a spike in reports involving fake certification schemes. Many Indian seafarers—especially those serving as ratings—were allegedly deceived by agents offering shortcuts to officer qualifications from overseas registries, often bypassing the necessary training and assessments.

“The fundamental principles and objectives of the STCW Convention are being undermined,” the DGS said, referencing the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

Investigations uncovered an alarming trend where agents, operating both domestically and internationally, were selling fraudulent training packages. These included counterfeit CoCs and course certificates from fictitious maritime schools that lacked any recognition from India’s maritime authority or the foreign bodies they claimed to represent.

Some of these seafarers were later assigned to foreign-flagged ships, frequently through both compliant and non-compliant RPSLs, without undergoing proper credential checks. The scheme unraveled when Port State Control (PSC) inspections uncovered numerous questionable certificates held by Indian crew members.

The DGS confirmed that several CoCs issued by foreign entities have been seized, and efforts are underway to file criminal charges against the involved agents. Officials have also reached out to the issuing maritime bodies to begin canceling fraudulent licenses.

The ban has created uncertainty across the industry, particularly for Indian mariners holding these foreign-issued documents. While many seafarers may have been victims of deception, the DGS emphasized its focus is on identifying and penalizing those responsible for orchestrating the fraud.

“These activities… have not only caused disruption to the lives of seafarers… but have the potential to cause more damage if not suitably addressed at this stage,” the DGS warned.