India joins global initiative to digitize seafarer certification

India has entered an international agreement to digitize seafarer certification to streamline qualification verification and combat fraudulent documentation in the shipping industry. The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) signed an agreement with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean to pilot the ISF Verify platform.

As the world’s second-largest source of maritime personnel, providing approximately 312,000 seafarers, India’s participation is considered a major milestone. The cloud-based ISF Verify platform allows seafarers, shipping companies, and port authorities to securely access and verify certification records. India plans to explore integrating its existing systems with the platform via an Application Programming Interface (API), allowing for synchronized qualifications while maintaining national control over data.