Former MLC Balaram Patil Urges Centre to Revoke DG Shipping Circular 31 of 2025 Posted on July 29, 2025 by Jaspal Singh Naol

 

Former MLC Balaram Patil Urges Centre to Revoke DG Shipping Circular 31 of 2025

Calls it an “Economic and Humanitarian Crisis” for Indian Seafarers

Maritime News, Mumbai, India: Former Maharashtra MLC and President of the Global Seafarers Union of India (GSUI), Balaram Patil, has written a detailed letter to Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, urging immediate revocation of DG Shipping Circular No. 31 of 2025. The move comes as part of rising nationwide unrest among Indian seafarers and maritime unions, who have termed the circular “discriminatory, anti-labour, and economically disastrous.”

The Contentious Circular 31: What It Says

The circular, issued by the Directorate General of Shipping, restricts the recruitment of Indian seafarers via RPSL agencies to those holding Certificates of Competency (CoCs) from only a few countries that have bilateral agreements with India—namely Malaysia, UAE, South Korea, Sweden, UK, and Iran.

Limited exceptions are made for Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, provided the seafarers physically completed their training there and their documents are authenticated online.

This effectively excludes thousands of Indian seafarers holding valid CoCs from IMO white-listed nations such as Panama, Honduras, Liberia, Cook Islands, Belize, and Gabon, triggering massive job uncertainty.

GSUI’s Warning: “Livelihoods at Stake”

In his letter, Patil warns that thousands of Indian seafarers—many from coastal and economically disadvantaged communities—stand to lose their only source of income, potentially leading to:

• Inability to pay home and education loans
• Families forced into poverty and homelessness
• Disruption of children’s education
• Collapse of RPSL agencies and allied service industries
• Closure of maritime training institutes affiliated with foreign flags
• Loss of millions in foreign currency remittances to India

“If the government cannot provide jobs, it has no right to remove existing ones,” Patil writes, calling the circular “unilateral, unconstitutional, and dangerously out of touch with ground realities.”

Legal and Constitutional Questions Raised

The GSUI has already filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, calling the circular a violation of:

• Article 14 – Right to Equality
• Article 19(1)(g) – Right to Practice Any Profession
• Article 21 – Right to Life and Livelihood

Patil also pointed out that DG Shipping may have overstepped its jurisdiction, stating that international maritime certification issues fall under the purview of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Politicizing the Issue: ₹25,000 Crore Maritime Budget vs. Mass Job Losses

Patil questioned the irony of the situation where the Centre announced a ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund (MDF) in the 2025–26 Union Budget to boost India’s global maritime stature, while simultaneously threatening to displace its own workforce.

“On one hand we talk of becoming a shipbuilding superpower. On the other, we’re making thousands of trained seafarers unemployable without a plan for transition,” the letter says.

Recommendations Submitted to MoPSW

Patil has made the following demands in his letter to MoPSW:

1. Immediate suspension of Circular 31 to prevent further damage.
2. Formation of a Joint Review Committee involving MoPSW, DG Shipping, unions, legal experts, RPSL agencies, and affected seafarers.
3. Structured verification and recognition of CoCs from IMO white-listed countries.
4. A grace period or requalification program for those already employed.
5. Action against fraudulent training agents, not the workers.
6. Transparent policymaking through stakeholder consultations.
7. Diplomatic resolution via IMO and bilateral channels, not unilateral bans.

GSUI: “This Is a Human Crisis”

GSUI’s National Coordinator, Gaurav Porwal, reiterated that this fight is far from over. “We are witnessing a systematic erasure of seafaring livelihoods. India must choose compassion over circulars,” he said. The union also warned of nationwide protests if their demands are ignored.