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Per the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, India has become the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers with 311,936 professionals — 12.16% of the global seafaring workforce — up from fifth place and 5.2% in 2015, behind only the Philippines.
Indian officers number 140,718 (13.41% of the world's officer workforce); Indian ratings number 171,218 (11.29% of global ratings); global seafarer supply stands at 2.57 million against demand of 2.55 million.
The Government has launched 'Mission 20%' to raise India's global seafarer share from 12.16% to 20% — one in five seafarers worldwide — via expanded training capacity, industry-academia partnerships and greater opportunities for women.
Separately, the Shipping Minister reviewed seafarer safety in conflict-sensitive regions (West Asia, Black Sea) with MEA, DG Shipping and Indian Missions in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and Ukraine; DG Shipping's 24x7 Seafarer Grievance and Assistance Cell is fully operational, alongside new pre-departure orientation and mental-health support measures.
Raise India's share of the global seafaring workforce from 12.16% to 20%
Key: Focus on expanding maritime training capacity, shipboard training opportunities, industry-academia partnerships, digital technologies, and opportunities for women seafarers
Round-the-clock support for Indian seafarers and families, especially in conflict zones
Key: Dedicated helplines, information services, grievance redressal; complemented by RPSL-run pre-departure orientation and new mental-health/counselling support
India's maritime administration and seafarer certification/regulatory body; runs the 24x7 Seafarer Grievance and Assistance Cell
Global shipping bodies co-publishing the biennial Seafarer Workforce Report
International convention India ratified in 1989, setting the training/certification standards DG Shipping enforces for Indian seafarers' global employability
Part of the most comprehensive overhaul of India's maritime legal framework in decades, alongside the Indian Ports Act, Coastal Shipping Act, Bills of Lading Act and Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, all 2025
On a merchant ship, 'officers' (captain, navigating/engineering officers) hold command and technical-supervisory roles requiring higher certification, while 'ratings' are the skilled crew carrying out operational duties under officers' direction. India's higher global share among officers (13.41%) than ratings (11.29%) reflects its historical strength in maritime education producing certified navigating and engineering officers
Simple Analogy: Officers are like a ship's management team (captain, engineers in charge); ratings are the skilled workforce executing daily operations under their direction
GS Paper 3 > Economy > Maritime Sector; GS Paper 2 > Overseas Indian Welfare
Occasional — a milestone tied to a biennial report cycle
A biennial report estimating global seafarer supply and demand, co-published by BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping