India's Ports, Ships and Seas
Indian Seafarers
How India became one of the largest suppliers of seafarers to the global shipping industry, what the work involves, and the remittances it brings.
Ships around the world are crewed by sailors from many countries, and India is one of the largest suppliers.
Scale
India provides a significant share of the world’s seafarers, with lakhs of Indian sailors working on ships. The number of Indian seafarers grew strongly in recent years.
Jobs
- Officers: captains, navigators and engineers.
- Ratings: deck and engine crew.
Why India
- English skills.
- Training institutes.
- Competitive wages for international companies.
Benefits
- Good pay, often tax-free for time spent abroad.
- Remittances to families.
Challenges
- Months away from home.
- Risks: piracy, accidents and abandonment by bad employers.
- During COVID-19, many seafarers were stranded on ships for months as crew changes stopped.
Growing opportunity
As other countries’ seafarer numbers fall, India aims to raise its share of global crews.
A marine engineer from Kerala works four-month contracts on container ships. His tax-free salary funds his family's new home.
Most seafarers work on ships from many countries.
- India is one of the largest suppliers of seafarers.
- Jobs include officers and ratings.
- Seafaring brings good pay and remittances.
- Time away, risks and abandonment are challenges.
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