India’s embassy for Yemen has evacuated 19 Indian seafarers who were stranded for about two weeks in Hodeidah, the Red Sea port, and the capital Sana’a. The embassy says all the seafarers are safe, in good health and on their way back home to India.
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.
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.
A senior Iranian lawmaker says ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar are exempt from Iran’s restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman. No official directive has confirmed the claim, and recent attacks near Oman, including one that killed an Indian seafarer, show the risks remain.
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration in Mumbai has reconstituted its Complaint Committee on Sexual Harassment of Women Seafarers for two years from 2 November 2026. The nine-member committee will examine complaints from women seafarers, including those filed through the e-Navik portal, and recommend action to DGMA.
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration has signed an MoU with the International Chamber of Shipping and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean at IMO headquarters in London. A pilot will link Indian seafarer certificates to ISF Verify, a digital platform for sharing and checking certificates worldwide.
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.
India’s maritime administration in Mumbai has issued DGS Circular No. 73 of 2026 to implement the Merchant Shipping (Seafarers’ Identity Document) Rules, 2026. The circular sets a fee for issue, renewal and duplicates, makes SIDs valid for five years and waives duplicate fees after losses at sea.
This week’s maritime roundup puts seafarer protection in focus: India and Liberia launch a joint initiative at the G20, India pursues a Black Sea plan to stop attacks on ships, DGMA eases its RPSL cap, a new federation forms in Chennai, and STCW delays and ammonia ships raise training questions.
India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration in Mumbai has eased its anti-abandonment rules. Up to three RPSL agencies may now crew one cargo ship, instead of two, and there is no limit for cruise and passenger ships. All other safeguards against seafarer abandonment stay in force.
Speaking in Atlanta, USA, after the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India is in talks with Russia, Ukraine and Europe on a three-point plan. It covers no attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, restoring Black Sea grain exports, and protecting energy facilities.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Al Mayeda was struck by a projectile in the Persian Gulf on 30 October. India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that all 25 crew, including six Indian seafarers, are safe, and that India is in touch with the ship’s managers.
Seafarers’ unions, transport workers’ unions, welfare bodies and maritime charities from across India have formed the International Transport Employees Federation (ITEF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The new platform aims to help abandoned seafarers, pursue unpaid wages and promote the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
At the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called for an end to attacks on ships and seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz and announced a joint India-Liberia initiative to safeguard seafarers. All 29 Indian crew on two recently attacked tankers are safe.
The Panama-flagged tanker MT Louise 1, with 27 Indian seafarers on board, was hit by limpet mines about 25 nautical miles north-east of Khasab, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. An engine-room fire broke out, but the crew put it out and all are safe.
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