1. The Manila Amendments to the STCW (Standards of Training Certification and Watch-keeping for seafarers) Convention, 2010, which have come into force from 1st January 2012, necessitate that the seafarers profile should be maintained in an electronic format, should be available to the seafarers for updating and should be accessible to various authorities for verification, electronically. This office Notice No.1-CC(INDoS)/2010-I dated the 9th November, 2011, on the issue of online updating of seafarers (INDoS) number, has to register with the Director General Of Shipping Government of India website for creating his/her profile online. The said process of 'registration', which is free of charge and updating online has been elaborated in those guidelines. As of date, more than 40,000 such profile stand created and updated an indication that the process is operating smoothly and without any bugs. It is necessary, therefore, that all active seafarers are brought under this data-base and registration disciple.
2. In order to be compliant with the requirement of the STCW convention, amended, it has been decided that every application of a seafarers for; (i) post-sea training (ii) recruitment and (iii) any other service(s) to be offered by an update of the seafarers profile, as on the last date of the month immediately preceding the date of such an application. For an online application, a seafarer has to clearly specify that he/she has updated the said profile, as such. Physical applications will similarly have to be accompanied by print out of the updated profiles concerned.
3. No Branches of the Directorate General (DG) of Shipping, no offices of the Mercantile Marine Departments/shipping Masters, no Maritime Training Institutes imparting post sea training courses and no Registration And Placement Services Agents or Shipowners will entertain an application of any seafarer unless his/her profile stands updated, as indicated above.
4. A seafarer who does not possess an INDoS number, but who is liable to have an INDoS no. must obtain the same in order that his/her case is considered for the purpose. Case of such other seafarers who are not required to have INDoS nos. (eg. Entertainment shipping/MMD/Shipping masters offices, for any matters concerning them, without creating any seafarer's profile. If an INDoS identity is created for them in future, stipulations made in this circulars shall apply.
5. The Principal Officers/Surveyors - in charge, MMD can make an exception, albeit only with reference to para 4 above, for clear reasons to be recorder by them in writing and will send a list of such exception cases entertained by them during the given month by the 5th of the next month as an annexure to their monthly D.O. letters on the activities of the MMDs, forwarded to the DGS, for an analysis and further augmentation of the e-database. Similarly, a RPS agent/ship owner could also do so in rare exigencies, with the approval of the Deputy Director General (crew), Directorate General Of Shipping and reflect these details in a separate monthly report to the DG, Shipping.
6. The email IDs and contact nos. provided by the seafarers in their profile wil be considered as the appropriate address for communication and proof of delivery. Seafarers should, therefore, regularly update the information regarding their mobile/contact nos.and email (identities). They should use their individual email ID and should not, repeat should not, use a Training Institute or RPS agent ID.
7. These guidelines shall come into effect immediately.
8. This issues with the approval of the DG Shipping and ex-officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
