India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) has formed a new complaint committee. It deals with sexual harassment of women seafarers at work. DGMA is India's maritime authority in Mumbai.
The committee was set up by DGMA Order No. 29 of 2026, dated 2 November 2026. It works for two years from that date.
What the committee does
It looks at complaints that women seafarers send to the DGMA. The order says complaints can come through the e-Navik portal or in other ways.
It reports to the DGMA and makes recommendations on each case.
It is formed under Section 4 of India's Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
It replaces earlier committees. These were set up in 2023, 2024 and earlier in 2026, and their terms have ended.
Who is on it
The committee has nine members. The chairperson is Ms Ambika Singh, a senior manager at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) near Mumbai.
The other members include a woman chief engineer and people from maritime training and a shipping association. There is also a maritime psychologist. The welfare charity ISWAN (International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network) has a member. So does the women's wing of the Maritime Union of India.
Two DGMA officers are members. One is the Deputy Nautical Adviser for welfare. The other is the DGMA welfare counsellor.
A new part of STCW training
Since 1 January 2026, basic STCW safety training covers violence and harassment. This is in the course on personal safety and social responsibilities. It includes sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. The change came from IMO resolution MSC.560(108).
Some companies and unions now also work on this. Read the WISTA Germany guide on hiring and protecting women seafarers.
What to do if you face harassment
If you are in danger on board, tell the master at once. If the master is part of the problem, tell the company's designated person ashore (DPA). The DPA is the company contact named in the safety management system.
Write down what happened as soon as you can. Note the date, time, place, names and any witnesses. Keep messages, photos and emails in a safe place off the ship's computer.
Indian seafarers can file a complaint on the DGMA e-Navik grievance page. Registered users log in with their e-Governance ID. Others, such as family members, can file with a one-time code (OTP).
Complaints cannot be anonymous. Save your tracking number.
If the DGMA asks you a question, answer within 7 days. If you do not, the system can close your complaint.
If your complaint is closed or rejected, you can appeal once within 30 days.
The e-Navik helpdesk works 24 hours a day. Call 1800-889-7768 in India or +1-888-988-0256 from abroad. Email enavik.24x7@gov.in or send a WhatsApp message to +91 8655856830.
You can also talk to your union or to ISWAN's SeafarerHelp line. Find their contacts on our page of official help lines for seafarers.
Speaking up is hard when your contract depends on it. Our post on seafarer welfare and speaking up has more on this.
Cover photo: Container cranes at the port in Navi Mumbai, seen from the Mumbai–Elephanta ferry, March 2016. Illustrative photo. Photo: A.Savin/Wikimedia Commons, Free Art License (cropped).
Sources: DGMA Order No. 29 of 2026: Constitution of Complaint Committee regarding sexual harassment of women seafarers at workplace (2 Nov 2026, PDF), DGMA: latest news, DGMA: e-Navik grievance redressal mechanism, DGMA: FAQ on e-Navik grievance redressal (PDF), IMO: Raft of shipping rules in force from 1 January 2026.
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