India joins ISF Verify to advance digital seafarer certification

India has joined the ISF Verify initiative through an agreement with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean, marking an expansion of efforts to establish a more connected international system for verifying seafarer certificates.

The agreement, announced on 4 November 2026, brings one of the world’s largest seafarer supply countries into the digital certification project. India has approximately 312,000 seafarers and ranks as the world’s second-largest supplier of maritime personnel, according to the ICS/BIMCO Seafarer Workforce Report 2026.

Together with the Philippines, which has already participated in a successful proof of concept, India represents part of a group of countries accounting for approximately 30% of the estimated 2.57 million seafarers worldwide.

The Memorandum of Understanding was marked during an International Maritime Organization Council meeting at IMO headquarters in London. It establishes a framework for exploring how India’s existing national certification platform could connect with ISF Verify.

Pilot to explore integration with India’s certification system

Under the agreement, India’s Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), ICS and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean will undertake a pilot programme examining technical integration between the existing Indian platform and ISF Verify.

The proposed connection will use an application programming interface (API), allowing separate systems to exchange certification information securely. The initial phase will involve technical assessment, identification of requirements and development of a roadmap for integration.

ISF Verify is a cloud-based platform developed by ICS and Lloyd’s Register OneOcean to support the maritime industry’s transition from paper-based documentation towards digital seafarer certification.

The system is intended to connect seafarers, maritime administrations, port state control authorities and shipping companies, enabling certificate information to be shared and verified more efficiently.

Unlike a centralised certificate database, the platform is designed to preserve the authority of national administrations over the documents they issue. Original certification records remain under the control and jurisdiction of the issuing authority, while individual seafarers retain control over access to their information.

If the integration is completed successfully, Indian seafarers would be able to synchronise certificates issued by their national maritime administration with ISF Verify, making it easier for authorised parties to confirm their credentials.

Potential benefits for seafarers and shipping companies

The initiative is intended to address longstanding administrative challenges associated with verifying maritime qualifications across different jurisdictions.

For seafarers, interoperable digital certification could simplify the presentation of credentials when joining vessels, changing employers or obtaining endorsements from foreign flag administrations.

Shipping companies and maritime authorities could also benefit from quicker verification procedures, reduced paperwork and improved protection against fraudulent certificates. The platform is designed to support checks by port state control authorities without transferring ownership of national certification data to an external system.

Thomas A. Kazakos, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, described India’s participation as an important development in the international adoption of digital certification.

“Together with the Philippines, we now have agreements with countries representing around 30 per cent of the world’s seafarers,” said Thomas A. Kazakos, Secretary General of ICS.

The Indian maritime administration also emphasised the importance of maintaining national oversight of certificate data while improving the accessibility and security of verification processes.

Sushil Khopde, Additional Director General of Maritime Administration, said the collaboration would explore ways to reduce administrative burdens, strengthen protection against fraudulent documentation and improve international recognition of Indian seafarers’ qualifications.

Building towards international interoperability

India’s participation follows earlier technical work with the Philippines’ Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), where ISF Verify has undergone a proof-of-concept process.

The addition of another major seafarer supply country gives the project a broader foundation for developing connections between national maritime certification systems.

Andy McKeran, Chief Growth Officer at Lloyd’s Register and Managing Director of Lloyd’s Register OneOcean, said the participation of India represented progress towards a more widely connected approach to digital seafarer documentation.

However, the agreement does not constitute the immediate deployment of ISF Verify across India’s maritime workforce. Technical integration, testing and implementation arrangements still need to be developed through the planned pilot.

No completion date or financial value was disclosed for the integration programme.

The initiative reflects the maritime sector’s wider efforts to modernise seafarer documentation while maintaining the responsibilities of national administrations and improving the reliability of international certificate verification.