DGMA Monthly Report Tracks Seafarer Abandonment, Welfare and Grievances
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, has published its monthly report for September 2026. The public report gives a detailed picture of India’s seafarer workforce and of DGMA’s work on abandonment cases, grievances and welfare.
According to the report, India had 323,429 active seafarers in 2025, 5% more than in 2024. About 90.6% of them serve on foreign-flagged ships and 9.4% on Indian ships. Ratings make up 64.8% and officers 35.2%. Women seafarers number 7,033, or about 2.17% of the total.
DGMA was handling 70 abandonment cases involving 552 seafarers at the start of September. Seven new cases with 67 seafarers were added and two cases with 11 seafarers were resolved, leaving 75 open cases involving 608 seafarers at the end of the month. The report also lists 14 death or missing-seafarer entries, with four mortal remains repatriated and six repatriations still pending.
From the CrewMirror Blog
On the e-Navik grievance portal, 2,932 complaints were registered in September and 2,655 were closed, a closure rate of 90.6%, with none pending beyond 60 days. The Seafarers’ Welfare Fund Society approved 134 of 141 applications and paid out about Rs 2.85 crore, including death-on-board, gratuity and survivor benefits.
The report also notes that mandatory immigration documents for seafarers have been cut from 22 to 7, and that a public portal for the welfare fund and provident fund is planned to go live by 15 November 2026. Of the RPSL agencies, 537 were valid and 66 suspended.
CrewMirror Takeaway
The rising number of open abandonment cases is a reminder that seafarers should join ships only through valid RPSL agencies and check the ship’s records before signing on. Seafarers with unresolved complaints can use the e-Navik portal, which now closes most grievances within the month.
For more details, please follow this link on the official DGMA website.
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