SEAFARER CORNER
INDIAN NATIONAL
DATABASE OF SEAFARERS (INDOS)
v Indian National Database of Seafarers (INDOS) is the fundamental
record in the DG Shipping e-governance database.
v It records all essential details of seafarer since the beginning of his /
her career and is kept updated.
v The INDOS database has the following components:
w Seafarer’s profile (personal particulars);
w Sea service details;
w Maritime training details;
w Other details (CDC, Passport, E-learning, EXIT Exam,
Automatic generation of watch-keeping certificates/DCEs,
Certificate of Competency)
INDIAN NATIONAL
DATABASE OF SEAFARERS (INDOS)
v A candidate is expected to be kept his profile up-to-date
through user protected password.
v With facial recognition having become core of digital
authentication, verification and e- proctoring and security, it is
important for the seafarer to keep his photograph and
signature updated in INDOS database.
For procedure to be followed by Candidate /
Mari me Training Ins tute (MTI) genera on of
INDOS Number, DGS website
www.dgshipping.gov.in may be visited.
CONTINUOUS
DISCHARGE CERTIFICATE (CDC)
v Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) is a Seafarer’s Identity
Document-cum-Sea Service Record Booklet issued by seafarers’
country.
v Internationally CDC is essential for every seafarer. It is also a
national requirement (as per Merchant Shipping Act, 1958) for
Indian seafarers.
v The Shipping Master, Govt. Shipping O ce, Mumbai / Chennai /
Kolkata are the authority issuing the CDCs by an online process.
v As per the Merchant Shipping (CDC) Rules, 2017, a person in
possession of 10th Std Pass Certificate along with Basic Maritime
Safety Course, can obtain a CDC.
CONTINUOUS
DISCHARGE CERTIFICATE (CDC)
v Any Indian National eligible and desirous to obtain CDC has to apply
Online after registering himself in the Online E-Module of the
Directorate.
v The E-Module is provided with facilities viz scanning & uploading of the
documents and submission of Fee Online through the E-Payment
Gateway.
v The Shipping Master, Govt. Shipping O ce, Mumbai / Chennai /
Kolkata, after the descriptive particulars of the applicant have been
entered in and the photograph a xed to the Continuous Discharge
Certificate, a x his signature and o cial seal and issue the same to the
applicant.
v A Continuous Discharge Certificate issued under Merchant Shipping
(CDC) Rules, 2017 are valid of a period of 10 (Ten) years and are to be
renewed on expiry or within one year prior to date to expiry.
v As on date over 4.5 Lakh CDCs have been issued to Indian seafarers.
BIOMETRIC SEAFARERS
IDENTITY DOCUMENT (BSID)
v India ratified Convention No. 185 of the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) on BSID and incorporated in The Merchant
Shipping (BSID) Rules, 2016.
v Formally launched on 5th April 2019 India has become the first
country in the world to issue the Bio-metric Seafarer Identity
Document (BSID) with facial biometric data.
v BSID is smart card-based identity card having embedded biometric
chip.
v At the time of data capturing the live face is cross matched with
passport photo using a facial identification and matching software.
v The B-SID card has several inbuilt security features:
BIOMETRIC SEAFARERS
IDENTITY DOCUMENT (BSID)
w B-SID card chip data is signed/encrypted using PKI.
w For coverage of 450,000 Indian seafarers, 9 data collection centers
have been setup at Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai Noida, Goa, New
Kochi, Vizag & Kandla.
w BSID issued is maintained in a national database and is accessible to
designated authorities for verification.
RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT
OF SEAFARERS
v As per Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 each member State has
to ensure that seafarers have access to an e cient and well-
regulated seafarers Recruitment & Placement system.
v Recruitment & placement of seafarers is regulated under Merchant
Shipping Act & Merchant Shipping (Recruitment and Placement of
Seafarers) Rules.
v The said rules safeguard Indian seafarers working on Indian and
foreign flag vessels.
RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT
OF SEAFARERS
v These Rules authorize the Director, Seamen’s Employment O ces,
Mumbai / Kolkata / Chennai to issue licenses to Recruitment and
Placement Service Providers.
v The process for obtaining RPSL, renewal, annual inspections is online.
v As on date the Directorate has issued 402 Licenses to RPS companies.
v List of RPSL agencies licensed by the Directorate General of Shipping is
available at
https://www.dgshipping.gov.in/Content/RPSAgencies.aspx
v All seafarers should ensure that they are approaching the RPSL
agencies licensed by the DG Shipping.
E-MIGRATE SYSTEM
FOR SEAFARERS
v To properly regulate the employment and immigration of Indian
seafarers, the RPSL Module and Indian National Database of
Seafarers (INDoS) module of the e-governance system of DGS has
been integrated with the e-migration system of Bureau of
Immigration.
v The INDOS module of the E-gov system has complete database of
Recruitment and Placement Service providers, IMO Numbers of all
ships for which they have contract for placement, applicable
SEA/CBA, validity of certificates and insurance of the ships etc.
v The e-migrate system allows the Indian ship owners and RPS
agencies to upload seafarers’ sign on and sign off details of their
recruited seafarers.
E-MIGRATE SYSTEM
FOR SEAFARERS
v With this e-migrant system, only those seafarers who have been
recruited through following three channels are allowed to travel by
the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) at the airport /seaports:
(i) By the Indian flag ship owners for Indian flag ships;
(ii) By the Recruitment and Placement Service registered with DGS, GoI,
for Foreign Flag Ships and Indian Flag Ships;
(iii) Self - certification in case of senior o cers like Masters & Chief
Engineer working on foreign flag vessels.
v The seafarers whose data has been passed on to the immigration are
also sent acknowledgment notification on their registered email and
mobile phone.
v E-Migrate for seafarers has brought in a new era of safe and legal
migration of Indian seafarers and has resulted in curbing the menace
of illegal recruiting agents.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
IN MARITIME SECTOR
v To promote the government’s mission on women empowerment, DGS is raising
awareness in the society about women in seafaring profession, aid and assist
activities to encourage women participation in shipping.
v DGS aims at increasing the visibility and presence of Women Seafarers in the
Maritime sector.
v For protecting rights of women seafarers and promote their fair treatment onboard
ships, the DGS vide M. S. Notice 07 of 2019 has issued guidelines for measures
promoting women seafarers and providing conductive work atmosphere on board
ship. This mainly emphasis the following –
a) As Recruitment and Placement Policy, ship-owner should include in
Company policy statement that there will be no discrimination based on
gender in employment, wages and promotions, and this should be included
in the recruitment procedure.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
IN MARITIME SECTOR
v For promoting education in Maritime Training Institutes, scholarship is being
provided to Indian Woman Seafarer who is undergoing pre-sea course (including
o cer and Rating) in the DGS approved Maritime Training Institutes (MTIs) since
2014-15 onwards. DGS has paid scholarship of Rs.50,000/- per woman candidate till
FY 2018-19.This amount has been increased to Rs.1,00,000/- per woman candidate
from 2019-20.
a) For permanent / regular employee’s ship-owners should provide maternity leave
as per Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, as amended.
b) Ship-owners may also consider offering suitable employment ashore to
pregnant women seafarers until permissible medical conditions.
c) As onboard complaints and redressal policy, every effort should be made by
means of set procedures and guidelines to resolve on-board complaints of sexual
harassment on the ship itself in a fair, effective and expeditious manner, keeping
the confidentiality of complainant and person against whom complaint is made.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Government of India.
[email protected],
[email protected]
