India: from 26 October, seafarers apply for CDC renewal, replacement and cook certificates on e-SamudraFrom Monday 26 October 2026, Indian seafarers apply for all types of CDC, and for the cook's Certificate of Competency, on the e-Samudra portal. For a replacement CDC booklet, you no longer need to hand in your old booklet.
China and Saudi Arabia agree to recognise each other's seafarer certificatesChina's Ministry of Transport and Saudi Arabia's Transport General Authority signed an agreement on 20 October 2026 to recognise each other's seafarer certificates. The details and the start date are not public yet.
India: new seafarers now apply for their first CDC on the e-Samudra portalIndia's maritime regulator has moved applications for a first Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) to its new e-Samudra portal. Seafarers in Bihar can also now give their biometric ID data in Patna.
India: maritime academy may lose its approval after problems found in a basic safety courseIndia's maritime regulator says Shivalik Maritime Academy in Dehradun may have trained people who did not meet the rules for Basic Safety Training. The academy has 15 days to answer. The findings are not final.
Indonesia and Portugal sign agreement to recognise each other's fishing crew certificatesIndonesia signed an agreement with Portugal in Jakarta on 20 October 2026 to recognise fishing crew certificates. Portugal says it will let Indonesian fishers work legally on Portuguese fishing boats. The two countries still have to agree on technical details.
Ships that run on methanol: a new report says crews need more than the required trainingA report on the first methanol-fuelled ships found the fuel can be used safely. But crews needed extra, ship-specific training, and the riskiest moments were maintenance, entry into methanol spaces and system changes.
Philippines gives a six-month extension to STCW certificates of seafarers stuck on ships in the Middle East and Black SeaMARINA, the Philippine maritime authority, can extend expired or expiring certificates of Filipino seafarers by six months. This is for crew who cannot leave their ships as planned because of the crises in the Middle East, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Digital certificates for seafarers: BIMCO test shows they can move between different systemsIn a BIMCO test, seven digital certificate platforms shared seafarer certificates with each other. BIMCO now wants one common certificate file and clear rules to check that digital certificates are real.
Philippines: seafarers on board get up to one year's extension for expiring record books and IDsMARINA says expiring or expired SIRBs and SIDs of Filipino seafarers already on board are extended for up to one year from expiry while its SRB/SID system recovers. It has asked manning agencies, shipowners and port State control to accept stamped extensions.
Malta switches to a digital-only Seaman's Record BookMalta now issues its Seaman's Record Book only in digital form. Seafarers apply on the Seafarer Portal, receive the book in a phone wallet, and send sea-service entries to the master for digital authentication. Employers and port State control can check it with a QR code.