The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has initiated focused consultations to expand global employment opportunities for Indian seafarers by reforming the Certificate of Competency (CoC) examination ecosystem.
As part of this effort, the DGS recently held discussions with Capt Sanjay Prashar, Chief Executive Officer of VR Maritime Services Private Limited, to examine ways to streamline certification processes and accelerate career progression for Indian maritime professionals.
Indian seafarers currently account for around 12 per cent of the global maritime workforce. With targeted reforms to the CoC examination system and clearer career pathways, India aims to raise this share to 20 per cent over the next five years. This expansion could generate approximately 2.2 lakh additional seafaring jobs over the next 1,800 days, without diluting safety, quality, or competency standards.
The discussions focused on removing procedural bottlenecks in the examination framework, increasing exam frequency, reducing timelines for results and certification, and improving transparency. Aligning India’s certification regime with international best practices, while preserving the strength of domestic maritime training, was identified as a key priority.
Other focus areas included faster issuance of CoCs, predictable and fair examination scheduling, modernisation of syllabi to reflect contemporary shipboard technologies, and stronger feedback and grievance-redressal mechanisms for seafarers.
Officials noted that improving the efficiency of the examination and assessment system could significantly speed up career progression for officers and facilitate smoother transition pathways for ratings aspiring to move up the ranks. The reforms are expected to have the greatest impact in the cargo shipping segment, where global demand for skilled officers continues to rise.
The proposed reforms form part of a broader strategy to build a future-ready maritime workforce, enhance global employability of Indian seafarers, and position India as a preferred source of skilled maritime talent worldwide.
