India joins ISF Verify pilot to streamline digital seafarer certification
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has joined ISF Verify through an agreement with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean to explore connecting Indian seafarer certificates to an international…
Announced in London on 4 November 2026, the memorandum of understanding provides for a pilot linking India’s existing certification system with ISF Verify. The agreement was marked during the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council meeting at its London headquarters.
India supplies approximately 312,000 seafarers, making it the world’s second-largest source country, according to the 2026 seafarer workforce figures cited by ICS.
Together, India and the Philippines represent around 30% of the estimated global workforce of 2.57 million seafarers. Their participation gives the initiative a substantial potential reach, although the figure represents the workforce of participating countries, rather than seafarers already using the platform.
The Indian pilot will examine integration through an application programming interface (API). The partners will undertake technical discovery, establish requirements and agree a development roadmap. The announcement does not specify a nationwide launch date.
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