PHOENIX REGISTER OF SHIPPING
NL 328/25 | MCI Circular 316 – Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India Circular No. 31 of 2025
Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels
Action Date: Immediate
The purpose of this Newsletter is to inform all parties regarding Maritime Cook Islands (MCI) circular 316 for Indian nationals serving on MCI vessels. MCI draws your attention to Circular No. 31 of 2025, issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India. The circular outlines new compliance requirements for Indian seafarers deployed on foreign flagged vessels, including those registered under the Cook Islands flag.
The new circular mandates that Indian nationals serving as Masters, Officers or Ratings must hold either:
Certificates issued by the Government of India, or
Certificates issued by foreign maritime administrations that are formally recognized by India under a bilateral agreement in accordance with STCW Convention, Regulation I/10.
Failure to comply with these new requirements may result in issues during Port State Control (PSC) inspections, including potential detentions, when calling at Indian Ports.
Key Requirements:
Effective immediately, the following must be observed for Indian nationals serving on Cook Islands flagged vessels trading to or from Indian ports:
Certificates of Competency (CoCs) and Certificates of Proficiency (CoPs) must be:
Issued by the Government of India; or
Issued by a country recognized by India under a bilateral agreement (refer to Annexure A of DGS Circular 31 of 2025).
MCI Guidance:
To avoid operational disruption or PSC related issues, vessel owners, managers, and crewing agencies for Cook Islands flagged vessels calling at Indian ports are strongly advised to:
Review the certification of all Indian crew currently or potentially employed
Avoid deploying Indian nationals who hold certificates issued by countries not listed in Annexure A of DGS Circular 31 of 2025.
Maritime Cook Islands is monitoring the situation and is engaging with the Directorate General of Shipping to seek further clarification, with the aim of minimizing any potential impact on MCI seafarers and vessel operations.
For any further clarification regarding the contents of Circular 316, please contact the Seafarer Training & Certification Department at seafarers@maritimecookislands.com.
You may also refer tο the full text of Circular 316 and Circular No. 31 of 2025 which are available here.
For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at technical@phrs.gr .
