India Emerges As World's Second-largest Supplier Of Seafarers: Report

New Delhi: India has emerged as the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, contributing 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.

The achievement marks one of the most remarkable transformations in the history of India's maritime sector. 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. Six years later, in 2021, India's share had grown modestly to 6 per cent, though it continued to remain in fifth position.

The latest BIMCO-ICS report for 2026, however, records a decisive breakthrough. India's global share has more than doubled over the past decade to 12.16 per cent, propelling the country to second place worldwide and establishing it as one of the world's foremost providers of skilled maritime professionals.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.