India has emerged as the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers, contributing 311,936 maritime professionals to the global shipping industry, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026. The report estimates that India now accounts for 12.16 per cent of the global seafaring workforce, ranking behind only the Philippines and ahead of China, the Russian Federation and Indonesia.
The milestone marks a significant transformation in India’s maritime sector over the past decade. In 2015, India accounted for only 5.2 per cent of the global seafaring workforce and ranked fifth worldwide. Although its share increased to 6 per cent by 2021, the country remained in fifth position. The latest report, however, shows that India’s global share has more than doubled to 12.16 per cent, propelling it to second place globally and establishing the country as one of the world’s leading providers of skilled maritime professionals.
India’s strength is particularly evident in the officer cadre. The country now supplies 140,718 officers, accounting for 13.41 per cent of the world’s officer workforce. It also contributes 171,218 ratings, representing 11.29 per cent of the global ratings serving aboard merchant vessels. Together, Indian seafarers form one of the largest and most skilled maritime workforces supporting international trade.
The report estimates the global supply of seafarers at 2.57 million, while demand has reached 2.55 million, pointing to an increasingly tight labour market. It also highlights the continuing shortage of qualified officers worldwide, positioning India as an important contributor to meeting future manpower requirements in the global shipping industry.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) attributed the country’s rise to sustained reforms implemented over the past decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These include expansion of maritime education and skilling, modernisation of training infrastructure, increased capacity of maritime training institutes, digitisation of seafarer certification and regulatory services through the Directorate General of Shipping, stronger compliance with international Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), and measures aimed at improving the employability and global competitiveness of Indian seafarers.
Since taking charge of MoPSW in 2021, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has overseen a series of legislative reforms aimed at modernising India’s maritime sector. These include the enactment of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021, followed by the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Indian Ports Act, 2025, Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, Bills of Lading Act, 2025, and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025. According to the government, these laws have modernised maritime governance, strengthened seafarer welfare, aligned India’s shipping laws with international conventions, simplified regulatory processes and improved the ease of doing business across the maritime sector.
Welcoming the findings of the BIMCO-ICS report, Sonowal described India’s rise from the fifth-largest supplier of seafarers in 2015 to the second-largest in 2026 as “a story of vision, resolve and transformative leadership.”
He said the achievement reflected the government’s sustained investment in maritime education, modern training infrastructure, digital seafarer services, legal reforms and globally benchmarked standards, which have enabled thousands of young Indians to build careers in the international shipping industry.
“The achievement is not merely a statistical milestone. It reflects New India’s growing global credibility, the confidence that international shipping companies place in Indian talent, and our collective resolve to establish India as a leading maritime nation,” Sonowal said.
The minister also announced that the government is pursuing Mission 20%, an ambitious initiative aimed at increasing India’s share of the global seafaring workforce from the current 12.16 per cent to 20 per cent.
Under the initiative, the government plans to expand maritime training capacity, strengthen shipboard training opportunities, deepen industry-academia partnerships, leverage digital technologies and create more opportunities for young Indians, particularly women, to pursue careers at sea.
“Our vision is to ensure that one in every five seafarers serving aboard merchant ships anywhere in the world is an Indian, recognised globally for professionalism, competence and excellence,” Sonowal said.
With the global shipping industry continuing to face a shortage of qualified officers, the government believes India’s expanding maritime education ecosystem, internationally recognised training standards and progressive policy framework place the country in a strong position to meet future global demand while advancing the objectives of Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
