India’s maritime watchdog has banned its shipowners and licensed recruiters from employing Indian nationals holding certificates of competency (CoCs) from several flag-of-convenience nations, following widespread fraud allegations.

The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has barred Indian recruitment and placement service licensees (RPSLs) from deploying Indian seafarers who possess CoCs or certificates of proficiency (CoPs) issued by unvetted foreign maritime administrations, including Honduras, Belize, Togo, Gabon, and others.

The move comes in response to a surge in fraudulent certification practices, where Indian seafarers—particularly those working as ratings—have reportedly been duped by unscrupulous agents promising fast-tracked upgrades to officer-level certifications from foreign jurisdictions, often with little or no training or examination.

“The fundamental principles and objectives of the STCW Convention are being undermined,” the DGS said, referring to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

Investigations by the DGS have revealed a disturbing pattern: “packages” of forged training documents and foreign CoCs being sold to seafarers by agents both in India and abroad. These packages allegedly included course certificates from non-existent maritime institutes, neither approved by India’s maritime authority nor the foreign administrations they claimed to represent.

Some of these seafarers were then placed on foreign-flagged vessels—often through both authorised and unauthorised Indian RPSL companies—without proper vetting. The scam came to light after Port State Control (PSC) inspections flagged numerous cases where Indian crewmembers held suspect credentials.

The DGS noted that multiple CoCs issued by certain foreign administrations have already been confiscated, and authorities are actively pursuing criminal complaints against the agents involved. The issuing maritime authorities have also been contacted to initiate cancellation proceedings against the fraudulent documentation.

The directive has already sent ripples through the industry, particularly among Indian crew working under foreign CoCs, many of whom now face job insecurity and legal scrutiny. Authorities say they are prioritising the identification and punishment of those orchestrating the schemes, rather than the seafarers who may have been misled.

“These activities… have not only caused disruption to the lives of seafarers… but have the potential to cause more damage if not suitably addressed at this stage,” the DGS said.