This guide is for Indian seafarers and their families. It explains the money that the Seafarers' Welfare Fund Society (SWFS) can pay. The information is correct as of November 2026.
The SWFS is part of the Indian government system. It is an independent society under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. It was set up in 1964 and has its office in Mumbai.
The schemes are run with the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA). DGMA is the new name of the Directorate General of Shipping. All official forms are on the DGMA SWFS page.
Who can apply
The schemes are for Indian seafarers who hold an Indian Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC). The CDC is the Indian seaman's book.
You must be engaged through an Indian shipping company. Or you must be engaged through a licensed Indian manning agency, called an RPSL company. RPSL means Recruitment and Placement Services Licence. The ship can be under the Indian flag or a foreign flag.
For most schemes, the money goes to the nominee. The nominee is the person you named in the nomination form for that voyage. So this form is very important.
Death or injury in a war-risk area: ₹10 lakh
This scheme started on 23 March 2026. It pays ₹10,00,000 one time. It covers death, presumed death, or permanent disability through the loss of limbs.
It covers the Persian Gulf (also called the Arabian Gulf) and the Gulf of Oman. It also covers parts of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea. The exact borders are in the scheme paper. The SWFS says this list may change.
The application must reach the SWFS within 3 months of the death or injury.
A Shipping Master, a Seamen's Employment Office or the DGMA crew branch must confirm that the seafarer was really employed.
For an injury, the form asks for a CDC copy, a medical certificate and the injury or incident report. It also asks for proof of employment and a bank passbook copy.
Bank details and the passbook copy are required. Without them, the claim cannot be paid.
The scheme paper says this payment is in place of the normal death-on-board payment. If you are not sure which scheme fits your case, ask the SWFS before you send the form.
Many seafarer contracts use the war-zone list of the International Bargaining Forum (IBF). The IBF is where unions and employers agree on pay and conditions. Read which Gulf areas stay a war zone under the IBF list. The IBF list and the SWFS list are separate.
Death on board in any area
The Death on Board Benefit Scheme covers any death or presumed death on board. The DGMA page says it pays ₹6,00,000 for deaths on or after 24 March 2026. For deaths from 12 March 2025, the amount was ₹2,00,000.
The money goes to the nominee in the nomination form for that ship. The family must send the form within 3 months of the death, or of the date the seafarer was reported missing. Add an attested copy of the CDC book.
Death after signing off
The Survivors' Benefit Scheme pays ₹6,00,000 for deaths on or after 27 January 2026. It covers a seafarer who dies within 36 months after signing off. The family must claim within 3 years.
Permanent disability
The Invalidity Benefit Scheme pays ₹6,00,000 for the loss of limbs on or after 29 April 2024. The claim must be made within 3 years.
Abandoned or stranded seafarers
If a seafarer is abandoned or stranded, the family can get money under the Ex-Gratia Support Benefit Scheme. For cases on or after 1 January 2026, it pays ₹20,000 per month. It pays for up to 12 months.
Payment starts 2 months after the date the seafarer was stranded or abandoned. The government shipping office must first confirm the case and the date. The family must apply within 2 months of that date. The SWFS uses the abandonment definition of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), the international law for seafarers' rights.
This money helps the family. It does not replace your unpaid wages. Read what to do if your wages are not paid or your ship is abandoned.
Other schemes for seafarers and families
Maternity: ₹50,000 per delivery for deliveries on or after 27 January 2026, for up to 2 deliveries. Claim within 2 years.
Old age: ₹50,000 at age 65 and ₹1,00,000 at age 75. You need 6 months of sea service after age 50, and your CDC must be cancelled.
Serious or terminal illness: ₹2,00,000 one time. You need a certificate from a government hospital that is not older than 6 months. Apply within 6 months.
Children: ₹1,00,000 when a child finishes pre-sea training and gets a CDC. There is also ₹50,000 for a 2-year postgraduate degree outside shipping, and an award of ₹25,000 for a top student.
Insurance: the SWFS pays back half of your premium for medical, critical illness and term life insurance. The limit is ₹5,000 in total.
First Indian certificate of competency (CoC) for ratings: ₹2,00,000. Apply within 12 months.
Each scheme has more conditions. Read the scheme paper for your case before you apply.
How to apply
Download the form for your scheme from the DGMA SWFS page. Each scheme has its own form and rules.
Fill in the names exactly as they are written in the CDC book.
Attach the documents the form asks for. This usually means a CDC copy, proof of employment, an ID and a bank passbook copy.
Check that the bank account is in the name of the person who applies.
Send the form to the SWFS office before the deadline. Keep a copy of everything you send.
The SWFS office is at Nau Bhavan, Ground Floor, 10 R. Kamani Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400001. The phone numbers are +91 8097552900 and +91 8097553700. The email addresses are swfs.dgs@govcontractor.nic.in and swfs.srassit-dgs@govcontractor.nic.in.
Common mistakes
DGMA held an awareness meeting for seafarers in Valsad, Gujarat, in October 2026. Officials there said many claims are late or rejected for the same reasons.
Documents are missing from the application.
Bank details are wrong, or the account name does not match the applicant.
The nomination details are old or wrong.
What to do now
Before each contract, check the nomination form. Make sure it names the right person and has the right contact details.
Tell your family about the SWFS. Give them the phone numbers and the link to the forms.
Keep copies of your CDC, contract, sign-on papers and bank passbook at home.
Before you sail to the Gulf, the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden, ask your company about war-risk insurance and pay.
Watch the deadlines. Some schemes give only 2 or 3 months to apply.
Find other help lines for seafarers in Crewboard's list of useful links.
Cover photo: Cargo ships at anchor in Mumbai Harbour, India, in October 2007. Illustrative photo. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: DGMA: Seafarers' Welfare Fund Society (SWFS) page, schemes, amounts and forms, SWFS: Financial assistance for death or permanent disability in warlike or high-risk areas, scheme and form (PDF), SWFS: Death on Board Benefit Scheme, scheme and form (PDF), SWFS: Ex-Gratia Support Benefit Scheme for families of stranded or abandoned seafarers (PDF), SWFS: Survivors' Benefit Scheme (PDF), DGMA Circular 39 of 2026: welfare schemes of the SWFS (PDF), DGMA: Report on the seafarer awareness programme in Valsad, 23 October 2026 (PDF).
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