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Issue 5 · Past issue

New Indian medical rules for seafarers, six ships hit near Hormuz in a day, UK says: train for GPS loss

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 · free, no ads · a new issue Tuesday to Saturday

  • 9items
  • 4official sources
  • 4to act on
  • 5 minto read

In 60 seconds

  • India's new Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2026 replace the 2000 rules. Over 65, your medical is valid 1 year. You have 60 days to appeal an unfit verdict.
  • Six ships hit near Hormuz in one day. JMIC keeps the Strait at SEVERE and asks ships to keep 30 NM from US warships.
  • Safety lesson: one small hydraulic hose with no replacement date leaked about 185 litres of oil (IMCA).
  • IMO & rules: UK MCA MGN 719 tells bridge teams to practise navigating without GPS.
  • PSC: from 2027 the Tokyo MOU will rate class societies (ROs) in a new way.
  • Industry: EU sanctions major Russian shipyards. Scrapping stays at a 50-year low, so the world fleet keeps getting older.
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🚨 Act on these first

  1. Indian seafarers: new medical exam rules replace the 2000 rules · 🇮🇳 India — DGMA tracker
  2. Six ships hit near Hormuz in one day, one of them a container ship · 🛡️ Security
  3. JMIC update 104: Hormuz stays SEVERE; keep 30 NM off US warships · 🛡️ Security
  4. Lesson: one small hydraulic hose with no replacement date spilled oil into the sea · ⚠️ Safety lesson

India — DGMA tracker

India — DGMA tracker Urgent Official

Indian seafarers: new medical exam rules replace the 2000 rules

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has notified the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2026. The notification is G.S.R. 816(E), dated 16 September 2026, now posted by DGMA. The new rules replace the 2000 rules from the date of publication. Your medical is valid for at most two years, but only one year if you are under 18 or over 65. If you are declared unfit, you can appeal within 60 days to a panel of at least three specialists. The panel must decide within 60 days.

What to do: Before you sign on, check the expiry date on your medical. If you are over 65, plan a medical every year. Signed off sick or repatriated on medical grounds? You need a full medical again before your next ship (Rule 28(2)). Keep your vaccination certificate (yellow fever where needed) with your documents.
Affects: All Indian seafarers, cadets before pre-sea training, DGMA-approved doctors, crewing offices When: 16 Sep 2026 (date of publication)
Source: DGMA (Gazette of India, G.S.R. 816(E)) ↗

Exams & certificates

Exams & certificates Official

Repeaters: GP Rating and CCMC exit-exam results for September are out

On 12 October, DGMA posted the results of the All India Exit Examination for repeater candidates. The exam was for the GP Rating and CCMC (cook) courses, held in September 2026. The lists show pass or fail by part, and the final result, against each candidate's INDoS number.

What to do: Repeaters: open the result list and search for your INDoS number. Failed a part? Ask your institute about the next attempt. Note that the exam fee rises to Rs 2,500 from 1 November (DGMA Order 24 of 2026).
Affects: GP Rating and CCMC repeater candidates, training institutes When: 12 Oct 2026
Source: DGMA ↗

Security

Security Urgent Reported

Six ships hit near Hormuz in one day, one of them a container ship

gCaptain reported on 12 October that six ships were struck on 11 October. They were five tankers and one inbound container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, plus a tanker hit by a drone near Sohar anchorage, Oman. UKMTO warnings 164-26 to 169-26 cover these attacks. One damaged tanker went to Fujairah anchorage. Traffic through the Strait is down to about 29 transits a day, against a normal of about 138.

What to do: Bound for the Gulf? Read the latest UKMTO warnings before entry and report to UKMTO. During the transit keep the crew off the ship's side and the bridge wings, and keep the fire and damage-control parties ready.
Affects: All crews in or bound for the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman When: 11 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain ↗
Security Urgent Official

JMIC update 104: Hormuz stays SEVERE; keep 30 NM off US warships

The Joint Maritime Information Center's update 104 (information to 11 October, 15:00 UTC) keeps the Strait of Hormuz at SEVERE. The Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea stay at SUBSTANTIAL. The Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea stay at MODERATE. The update lists the attack on the tanker GEM NO.2 at anchor off the UAE (all Indian crew reported safe). It also lists the bulk carrier Ocean Molica, disabled by US forces after trying to pass through the blockade. It counts 140 confirmed incidents since 1 March.

What to do: Masters: keep 30 NM clear of US naval units. Keep a watch on VHF channel 16 at all times, answer military calls at once, and expect visit-and-search checks. Spend as little time at anchor as you can and keep the main engine ready. The OOW should watch for mines near the Hormuz traffic lanes.
Affects: Masters and bridge teams in the Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Red Sea When: 11 Oct 2026
Source: UKMTO / JMIC ↗

Safety lesson

Safety lesson Urgent Reported

Lesson: one small hydraulic hose with no replacement date spilled oil into the sea

SAFETY4SEA reported an IMCA safety case on 8 October. On a pipelay vessel, crew opening the moonpool doors found a hydraulic oil leak. A small pressure-monitoring hose had failed at its crimp fitting. This hose was not in the hose replacement programme. About 185 litres leaked and about 150 litres went to sea. An earlier low-pressure alarm had been treated as minor.

What to do: Engineers: put every flexible hose on the hose register with a replacement date, even the small gauge and test hoses. Check the crimp ends, not only the hose. Never close out a low-pressure alarm you cannot explain; find the cause first.
Affects: Engineers, ETOs and deck crews running hydraulic deck machinery When: 8 Oct 2026
Source: SAFETY4SEA (IMCA safety flash) ↗

Ports & PSC

Ports & PSC Reported

From 2027 the Tokyo MOU will rate flags and class societies in a new way

SAFETY4SEA reported on 9 October that the Tokyo MOU will change how it calculates flag and recognised organisation (RO) performance. From 1 January 2027, a detention will count against the RO that last issued or endorsed the certificate behind the detainable deficiency. The first results are expected around May 2028 and will apply to ship risk profiles from 1 July 2028.

What to do: Masters and superintendents: from January 2027, expect the PSC officer to note which RO issued each certificate linked to a deficiency. Keep the certificate file and the record of last endorsements in good order.
Affects: Masters, C/Os, superintendents of ships calling at Asia-Pacific ports When: 1 Jan 2027
Source: SAFETY4SEA ↗

IMO & rules

IMO & rules Official

UK MGN 719: be ready to navigate when GPS is jammed or spoofed

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency published Marine Guidance Note MGN 719 on 1 October on operating where GNSS is denied or degraded. It says bridge teams must understand GPS limits, check positions by independent means, have procedures to spot and respond to jamming and spoofing, and practise them in drills. Splash247 reported on 13 October that the MCA names the Baltic, Black Sea, Middle East Gulf and parts of East Asia as areas of interference.

What to do: Deck officers: practise radar fixing, visual bearings, dead reckoning and celestial fixes on your watch. Know which equipment on your bridge (ECDIS, AIS, autopilot, gyro, GMDSS) takes GPS input. For affected areas, write a short jamming or spoofing check into the passage plan.
Affects: Masters, navigating officers, DP operators, ETOs When: 1 Oct 2026
Source: UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency ↗

Shipping industry

Shipping industry Reported

EU sanctions major Russian shipyards and ship-repair plants

gCaptain reported that on 12 October the EU added 826 Russian companies and 743 executives to its sanctions list, its biggest expansion since February 2022. The list includes yards such as Admiralty Shipyards, Sevmash, Severnaya Verf, Zvezdochka and Dalzavod. According to gCaptain, this is separate from the EU's shadow fleet list and is not a general ban on ships built at these yards.

What to do: Crewing offices and superintendents: check with your compliance team before any repair, drydock or spares order involving a Russian yard. Offered a job on a ship trading with Russia? Ask the company to confirm the ship is not on a sanctions list before you sign on.
Affects: Ship managers, superintendents, crewing offices; crews on ships trading to Russia When: 12 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain ↗
Shipping industry Reported

Few ships go for scrap, so the world fleet keeps getting older

Splash247 reported on 12 October, citing Clarksons Research, that 273 ships were sold for demolition in the first nine months of 2026, 13% fewer than last year. For five years in a row, less than 0.5% of fleet tonnage has been scrapped. This is the longest such gap since the early 1970s. A record 68 million gt is now over 30 years old. High freight rates keep old ships trading.

What to do: On an older ship, take extra care with corroded ladders, rails, vent heads and hatch covers, and report every defect in writing. If the ship looks unsafe when you join, raise it with the Master and the company before you sign on.
Affects: All seafarers, especially on older tankers and bulk carriers; ship-recycling workers When: 12 Oct 2026
Source: Splash247 ↗

One-question check

For a seafarer aged over 65, what is the longest a medical fitness certificate can be valid under India's Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2026?

Mariners Digest summarises public sources in its own words and links every item to its source. Items marked Official link to the regulator's own document; Reported items come from the trade press. Always check the source before acting on it. This is not legal advice. Independent — not affiliated with the Directorate General of Shipping or IMO. How to use