India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has joined ISF Verify, a digital platform for seafarer certificates run by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean (LROO). The move is a big step towards replacing paper certificates across the industry.
Why India matters
- India supplies about 312,000 seafarers, making it the world’s second-largest supplier, according to the ICS/BIMCO Seafarer Workforce Report 2026.
- The Philippines’ Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has already completed a successful trial with the platform.
- Together, the two countries account for around 30% of the world’s 2.57 million seafarers.
What was agreed
The memorandum of understanding was signed this week at the IMO headquarters in London, during the IMO Council meeting. Under it, the DGMA, ICS and LROO will run a pilot to connect ISF Verify with India’s existing national system through an API. The partners will complete technical discovery work, set requirements and agree a development plan and roadmap.
How ISF Verify works
ISF Verify is a cloud-based system that links seafarers, maritime administrations, port state control officers and shipping companies so that certificates can be shared, checked and endorsed securely.
- Seafarers in control: seafarers decide who can see their data.
- National ownership: original certificates stay under the control of the issuing authority, which can answer verification queries in real time.
- For seafarers: Indian seafarers would be able to sync their DGMA-issued certificates with the platform, making it easier to move between jobs and employers.
- For administrations: faster endorsements by foreign flag states, less paperwork and cost, a lower risk of fake certificates and potentially quicker checks in port.
What they said
ICS secretary general Thomas A. Kazakos called India’s participation “a major milestone” for the platform and for trusted digital certification in shipping, saying the agreements with India and the Philippines give a strong base for a truly global system.
DGMA additional director general Sushil Khopde said the aim is to reduce paperwork, guard against fraudulent documents and let Indian seafarers verify their credentials worldwide in real time, while India keeps strict control over national data.
Andy McKeran of Lloyd’s Register OneOcean said that with India on board, digital certification is approaching the point where it could become the global standard.
Based on reporting by Marine Insight, 5 November 2026, from an ICS press release.
Photo: Representative image: a merchant ship at a terminal. Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
