News Tanks | Mumbai | 20 July 2025
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), Government of India, has initiated strict action against fraudulent certificates in the maritime sector. Following a serious complaint from the Honduras administration, DG Shipping has launched a major investigation and has asked all RPSL (Recruitment and Placement Services License) companies to submit relevant data immediately.
Honduras had sent an official list warning that a large number of Indian seafarers are working on ships under its flag using fake Certificates of Competency (CoC). Acting upon this complaint, DG Shipping issued an official order and has begun a formal investigation.
A Web of Fake Institutes and CoCs Without Examination
According to sources, Honduras found that several Indian seafarers are citing training institutes that exist only on paper and have no real presence. Even more concerning, many of these seafarers have neither taken any examination nor gone through any authorized procedure, yet they hold CoCs.
In response, DG Shipping has asked all RPSL companies to report how many seafarers working on their ships hold CoCs from Honduras and the Cook Islands.
Ban on Fake Certificates Already Announced
It is worth noting that just two days earlier, on 18 July, DG Shipping issued a significant circular stating that CoCs issued from Honduras, Panama, Belize, Togo, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Marshall Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Comoros will no longer be recognized in India, particularly for Indian seafarers working abroad through RPSL-licensed agencies.
The order also stated
Seafarers holding fake or unauthorized CoCs will have their Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) suspended immediately.
Their INDos number will be blocked.
They will be barred from working on any ship for at least two years.
RPSL companies have been instructed to only recruit seafarers with valid CoCs.
DG Shipping’s Dual Strategy: Punishment and Protection
DG Shipping has clarified that seafarers who have obtained CoCs through valid and authentic procedures will not face any trouble. However, from now on, each seafarer will be required to provide evidence of how, where, and through which process they obtained their CoC.
DG Shipping is currently in touch with the Honduran administration and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to ensure that innocent seafarers are not harmed, while real culprits fake institutions, agents, and the benefiting seafarer are punished.
Next Phase: Preparation for Concrete Action
The data collection process is currently ongoing, and as reports are submitted, DG Shipping will move toward institutional-level action. This could include legal proceedings against fake certificate-issuing institutes, agents, and the involved seafarers themselves.
