New Delhi: India has emerged as the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, contributing as many as 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.
In 2015, India contributed only 5.2 per cent of the world's seafarers and ranked fifth globally, behind China, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Russian Federation. India's global share has more than doubled over the past decade.
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, while 171,218 ratings represent 11.29 per cent of the global ratings serving aboard merchant vessels. Overall, Indian seafarers today constitute one of the largest and most skilled maritime workforces supporting global trade.
Welcoming the report, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “India's rise from the fifth-largest supplier of seafarers in 2015 with just 5.2 per cent of the global workforce to the world's second-largest maritime manpower nation with a 12.16% share in 2026 is a story of vision, resolve and transformative leadership. This remarkable turnaround has been made possible under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose unwavering commitment over the past 12 years has fundamentally reshaped India's maritime ecosystem.”
From investing in world-class maritime education and modern training infrastructure to digitising seafarer services, reforming maritime laws and creating globally benchmarked standards, the Government has empowered thousands of young Indians to compete and excel on the world stage, he added. (IANS)
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