India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration in Mumbai has published its monthly report for September 2026. It shows 323,429 active Indian seafarers in 2025, 75 open abandonment cases involving 608 seafarers, a 90.6% closure rate for e-Navik grievances, and Rs 2.85 crore paid from the welfare fund.
The IMO Council, meeting in London from 2 to 6 November, has called for stronger protection of seafarers and safe shipping lanes. IMO chief Arsenio Domínguez said 25 seafarers have now died since the Middle East conflict began, and at least 130 attacks on merchant ships have been verified.
One crew member was reportedly killed when the Greek-operated product tanker Velos Sapphire was hit by two projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Qatar in the central Arabian Gulf. The victim’s nationality is not known, and no one has confirmed who carried out the overnight attack.
The Helsinki District Court in Finland has jailed the Russian captain and Azerbaijani bosun of the cargo ship Fitburg for aggravated sabotage. The court found the ship deliberately dragged its anchor about 130 km across the Gulf of Finland seabed in 2025, damaging two telecom cables.
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration in Mumbai has published model question papers from October 2026 for Marine Engineer Officer Class I, Class II and Class IV and ETO candidates. The papers, posted on 5 November, give examinees a clear idea of the format and type of questions.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has banned the bulk carrier Wooyang Venus from Australian ports for 90 days after finding falsified crew work and rest records at Newcastle, New South Wales. Inspectors found the records were altered to hide excessive working hours on board.
The UK Department for Transport has laid new legislation requiring operators on ferry routes between the UK and France to pay seafarers at least the UK minimum wage for the whole voyage. The law also adds minimum rest periods and time off the ship for crews.
The UK High Court in London has ruled that a cruise ship steward arrested in Southampton can be considered for extradition to Bermuda, the ship’s flag state, over an alleged offence at sea between Iceland and Scotland. The ruling sends the case to the Home Secretary.
Shipping leaders at Crew Connect Global in Manila, the Philippines, said the industry has run out of options in seafarer criminalisation cases and that governments must step in through consular channels. They pointed to a chief mate held in Turkey since 2023 and three Filipinos jailed in Algeria.
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration in Mumbai has issued a seat booking procedure for MEO Class IV and Class II candidates who cannot get a written exam seat at their parent MMD. Cross-centre booking at another MMD will open in the last two days of each booking window.
One Indian seafarer died and 13 crewmates were rescued after the India-flagged vessel MSV Al Jusufi was struck by an unidentified aerial object near Limah, on Oman’s Musandam coast, on 2 November. The Omani Coast Guard rescued the survivors, and India’s foreign ministry has condemned the attack.
The Seafarers Hospital Society has released a new set of key performance indicators to help shipping companies measure how well they prepare for, handle and recover from medical emergencies on board. The voluntary toolkit was built with experts from two international maritime health bodies.
Fourteen Filipino seafarers rescued after the container ship Contship Jet was hit by drones and sank off Bulgaria in the Black Sea are due home in the Philippines on 2 November. Survivors said they jumped into the sea and waited two to three hours before rescue.
The Sri Lanka Navy has evacuated a seafarer with a serious head injury from the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship Spirit of Tokyo off Galle, on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. A fast attack craft brought the injured crew member ashore, and he was taken to hospital in Galle.
Vietnamese maritime rescuers have brought ashore a seriously ill seafarer from the Japanese-flagged ship Demeter Leader off southern Vietnam. The crew member had chest pain and breathing trouble. Rescue vessel SAR 272, with two doctors on board, landed him at Phuoc Thang ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
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