{"id":116356,"date":"2026-07-31T17:57:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=116356"},"modified":"2026-07-31T17:57:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:27:19","slug":"india-becomes-worlds-second-largest-supplier-of-seafarers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-becomes-worlds-second-largest-supplier-of-seafarers\/","title":{"rendered":"India Becomes World\u2019s Second-Largest Supplier Of Seafarers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, India has emerged as the world\u2019s second-largest supplier of seafarers, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>India\u2019s Rise in Global Seafaring Workforce<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><b>BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, India contributes 311,936 maritime professionals, accounting for <\/span><b>12.16% of the global seafaring workforce.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>India has moved from the fifth position in 2015 to the second position in 2026<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, demonstrating significant growth in its maritime manpower capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2015, India accounted for only 5.2% of the global seafaring workforce, which increased to 6% in 2021 before rising sharply to <\/span><b>12.16% in 2026.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>India now ranks second globally after the Philippines and ahead of China<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Russian Federation and Indonesia in supplying seafarers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>India\u2019s contribution is particularly strong in the officer category<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with 140,718 officers representing <\/span><b>13.41% of the global officer workforce.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The country also supplies 171,218 ratings, <\/span><b>contributing 11.29% of the global ratings serving aboard merchant vessels.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The growing presence of Indian seafarers strengthens India\u2019s role in supporting international trade and meeting the rising demand for skilled maritime professionals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Factors Behind India\u2019s Rise in Global Seafaring Workforce<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s emergence as a leading supplier of seafarers has been driven by continuous reforms in maritime education, skill development, regulatory modernisation and alignment with global shipping standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expansion of maritime education and training infrastructure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has increased the availability of skilled professionals capable of meeting the requirements of the international shipping industry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Modernisation of maritime training institutes and improvement in shipboard training opportunities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have enhanced the practical skills and employability of Indian seafarers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Digitisation of seafarer certification, documentation and regulatory services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has improved transparency, efficiency and ease of access for maritime professionals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has strengthened <\/span><b>compliance with the International Maritime Organization\u2019s Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, ensuring global recognition of Indian seafarers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has introduced major maritime sector reforms, including the <\/span><b>Inland Vessels Act, 2021<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to create a modern regulatory framework for inland water transport.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legislative reforms such as the <\/span><b>Merchant Shipping Act, 2025,<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indian-ports-act-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\">Indian Ports Act, 2025<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, Bills of Lading Act, 2025 and Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have modernised maritime governance and aligned Indian laws with international conventions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These reforms have focused on improving seafarer welfare, simplifying regulatory procedures, strengthening maritime safety and promoting ease of doing business in the shipping sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greater focus on skill development, industry-academia partnerships and adoption of digital technologies has improved the global competitiveness of Indian maritime professionals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initiatives under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/maritime-india-vision-2030\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Maritime India Vision 2030<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have provided a long-term roadmap for developing India as a leading maritime nation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Mission 20%: India\u2019s Future Roadmap<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building on these reforms and the growing demand for skilled maritime professionals, the <\/span><b>government has launched Mission 20% to further strengthen India\u2019s position in the global seafaring sector.<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The initiative <\/span><b>aims to increase India\u2019s share of the global seafaring workforce from the current 12.16% to 20%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, ensuring greater participation of Indian professionals in international shipping.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mission 20% focuses on expanding maritime training capacity, improving shipboard training opportunities and strengthening industry-academia partnerships to create a future-ready workforce.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The initiative also promotes the use of digital technologies in maritime education and aims to increase the participation of women in seafaring careers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The long-term vision is to ensure that one out of every five seafarers serving on merchant ships globally is an Indian professional recognised for competence, professionalism and excellence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is a globally recognised report that analyses the availability and demand of seafarers in the global maritime industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report provides insights into global workforce trends, seafarer supply, demand patterns and future manpower requirements of the shipping sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2026 edition highlights the shortage of qualified officers worldwide, creating a growing demand for skilled maritime professionals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It estimates the global seafaring workforce at 2.57 million, while the demand stands at 2.55 million, indicating a tight maritime labour market.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report highlights India\u2019s growing importance as a major supplier of skilled seafarers and its role in supporting global shipping operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India becomes the world\u2019s second-largest supplier of seafarers with a 12.16% global share. Learn the key drivers, Mission 20%, and BIMCO-ICS Report 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":116325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[9133],"class_list":["post-116356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-studies","tag-india-becomes-worlds-second-largest-supplier-of-seafarers","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116356"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116362,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116356\/revisions\/116362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}