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Issue 8 · Past issue

Drones hit tankers off Romania; DGMA exam report: Cargo and TCN fail most; Indian ships' PSC record

Friday, 16 October 2026 · free, no ads · a new issue Tuesday to Saturday

  • 9items
  • 3official sources
  • 3to act on
  • 5 minto read

In 60 seconds

  • India: DGMA STCW report 2025 - a record 4,333 FG CoCs, but Cargo and TCN pass rates are below 50%.
  • India PSC 2025: 6 of 200 Indian ships detained abroad, all under the Tokyo MoU - get her PSC-ready after dry dock.
  • Black Sea: drones hit tankers off Sulina, Romania; 7 crew of Wine Trader are missing.
  • Hormuz: about 30 transits a day, hundreds of ships at anchor, threat still SEVERE.
  • Safety lesson: in a mass rescue, someone must look for the person you cannot see (MAIB 21/2026).
  • IMO & rules: new IMDG battery and EV rules may be used from 1 Jan 2027; industry: shadow-fleet sanctions, bunker quality.
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🚨 Act on these first

  1. Black Sea: drones set two tankers on fire off Sulina, Romania; 7 crew missing · 🛡️ Security
  2. Hormuz: about 30 transits a day, hundreds of ships waiting at anchor, threat still SEVERE · 🛡️ Security
  3. Lesson: in a mass rescue, look for the person you cannot see (MAIB report 21/2026) · ⚠️ Safety lesson

Exams & certificates

Exams & certificates Official

DGMA STCW report 2025: record CoCs issued, but Cargo and TCN papers pass under 50%

Preparing for the Second Mate exam? Cargo and TCN are the papers to watch. DGMA's Annual STCW Report 2025 (issued 15 Oct 2026) says 4,333 foreign-going CoCs were issued in 2025. They include 2,373 Second Mate CoCs, the highest ever. In the Second Mate (FG) written exams, Meteorology had the best pass rate (83.4%). Cargo and Terrestrial & Coastal Navigation fell below 50%. In First Mate Phase I, Cargo and Naval Architecture Paper 1 were also below 50%. The report adds that, under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 and the upcoming STCW Rules, 2026, only approved training institutes will be allowed to operate.

What to do: Studying for Second Mate or First Mate? Put extra hours into Cargo, TCN and Naval Architecture Paper 1 - the papers most candidates fail. Before you pay an institute, check its results in the institute-wise tables of the report.
Affects: Deck cadets and officers studying for CoC exams, training institutes When: Report issued 15 Oct 2026 (covers Jan-Dec 2025)
Source: DGMA Annual STCW Report 2025 ↗

Security

Security Urgent Reported

Black Sea: drones set two tankers on fire off Sulina, Romania; 7 crew missing

Reuters, reported by gCaptain on 15 Oct, says the San Marino-flag tanker Wine Trader was hit 13 nm southeast of the Sulina canal, just outside Romanian waters. 5 of her 12 crew were rescued, and 7 are missing. The Comoros-flag chemical/oil tanker Yara J was hit inside Romanian waters, and all her crew are safe. NATO said the bulk carrier Sea Destiny was also targeted inside Romanian waters, and the tanker Dania J at the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail. At least five other cargo ships were hit near Romania and Bulgaria in the past 10 days.

What to do: Trading to the Danube, Romanian or Bulgarian ports? Treat the anchorages off Sulina as a strike zone. Follow company and flag guidance. Keep a careful lookout and practise drone drills. Make sure everyone knows their muster station and the abandon-ship plan. Keep immersion suits and the EPIRB ready.
Affects: All crew on ships trading in the western Black Sea and the Danube When: 14-15 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain (Reuters) ↗
Security Urgent Reported

Hormuz: about 30 transits a day, hundreds of ships waiting at anchor, threat still SEVERE

According to gCaptain, citing the JMIC advisory of 15 Oct, there were 121 transits from 11 to 14 October. That is about 30 a day, against about 138 a day in 2025. The threat level stays SEVERE. JMIC counts about 180 ships waiting near Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, about 178 between Dubai, Jebel Ali and Ras Al Khaimah, and about 74 around Musandam and Sohar. The IMO counts 24 seafarers killed as of 14 October.

What to do: In or near the Gulf: follow the latest JMIC/UKMTO advice and your company's AIS policy (JMIC says ships broadcasting AIS face higher targeting risk). Brief the watchkeepers to look out for possible mines in and around the traffic separation scheme. They should also look out for floating containers and debris near the GFS Pride wreck.
Affects: Crews of ships in or bound for the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf When: 11-15 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain ↗

Safety lesson

Safety lesson Urgent Official

Lesson: in a mass rescue, look for the person you cannot see (MAIB report 21/2026)

MAIB report 21/2026 (15 Oct) covers a Border Force rescue in the English Channel on 9 September 2025. One side of an overcrowded inflatable migrant boat collapsed when the people on board shifted. The boat flooded, and one woman died after being trampled into the bottom of the boat. The crew found her late. They were busy with a mass rescue from a boat that was quickly getting worse, and she was partly under water in poor visibility. They had no training, procedure or equipment to lift an unresponsive person out of a collapsed boat.

What to do: If your ship is ever called to rescue a crowded small boat: give one person the only job of scanning for anyone submerged, unresponsive or hidden. At the next drill, talk through how you would recover an unconscious casualty (rescue net, recovery sling, stretcher).
Affects: Deck officers and ratings, rescue-boat crews, masters When: Report published 15 Oct 2026
Source: MAIB report 21/2026 ↗

Ports & PSC

Ports & PSC Official

Indian ships abroad: 6 of 200 inspected were detained in 2025, all under the Tokyo MoU

DGMA's PSC/FSI Annual Report 2025 says 200 Indian ships were inspected abroad in 2025. Of these, 6 were detained (3%), all under the Tokyo MoU. None were detained by the USCG or the Paris MoU. The report names these causes: inspections during dry-dock voyages, carrying cargo on such voyages, poor preparation for foreign voyages, and low PSC awareness among crew and middle management. In Indian ports, 607 foreign ships had initial PSC inspections. They had 2,595 deficiencies (4.28 per ship) and 64 detentions (about 10.5%).

What to do: Coming out of dry dock on an Indian-flag ship? Do a full PSC-readiness check - certificates, LSA/FFA, ISM records, drills - before the first foreign port, not after loading. Explain to the junior officers what PSC inspectors check.
Affects: Masters, officers and superintendents of Indian-flag ships; crews of foreign ships calling India When: Report published Oct 2026 (covers 2025)
Source: DGMA PSC & FSI Annual Report 2025 ↗

IMO & rules

IMO & rules Reported

Coming 1 Jan 2027: new IMDG Code rules on batteries and EVs may be used early

IMDG Code Amendment 43-26, adopted at MSC 111, updates the rules for carrying batteries, reported by DNV. It also gives clearer criteria for carrying vehicles, including electric vehicles. It enters into force on 1 January 2028, but may be applied voluntarily from 1 January 2027. So from January, you may see the new rules in dangerous-goods declarations on board.

What to do: Container and ro-ro C/Os and deck officers: ask the office which IMDG edition the company will use from 1 January 2027. Check that the DG manifest and stowage software are updated. Check battery and EV cargo declarations with extra care.
Affects: C/Os and deck officers of container ships, ro-ro ships and car carriers When: Voluntary from 1 Jan 2027; in force 1 Jan 2028
Source: DNV (MSC 111 summary) ↗
IMO & rules Reported

Coming 1 Jan 2027: MODU Code clarifies which equipment must keep running after shutdown

For rig crews: from 1 January 2027 the amended paragraph 6.5 of the 2009 MODU Code (MSC 111) takes effect, reported by DNV. It covers equipment that must keep running after an emergency shutdown. Such equipment must be suitable for Zone 2 hazardous areas, or covered by a conclusive risk assessment, or protected inside enclosed spaces. 'After shutdown' means after any level of emergency shutdown.

What to do: On a rig: ask the C/E or ETO for the list of equipment that stays live after each ESD level, and check its hazardous-area rating before the next survey.
Affects: Engineers, ETOs and offshore crews on mobile offshore drilling units When: 1 Jan 2027
Source: DNV (MSC 111 summary) ↗

Shipping industry

Shipping industry Reported

Shadow fleet: UK sanctions 12 more tankers while the US weighs easing its own

gCaptain reported on 15 Oct that a UK package announced on 8 October lists 12 more shadow-fleet tankers. This takes the UK total to more than 600. The package has 38 targets, including Zarubezhneft and INK Capital. Reuters reports the US is only considering relief for previously sanctioned tankers. The relief would let them carry oil that is not itself under US sanctions, with US Treasury approval. No decision has been made. UK and European rules would still apply, so these ships may still find it hard to get insurance.

What to do: Before you sign on a tanker, check her name on the UK and EU sanctions lists and ask who her P&I insurer is. No proper insurance puts your wages, repatriation and safety at risk.
Affects: Tanker crews, crewing agents When: 8-15 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain (Reuters) ↗
Shipping industry Reported

Bunkering at unfamiliar ports to avoid Hormuz and the Red Sea? Watch the fuel quality

Bloomberg, reported by gCaptain on 15 Oct, says ships are avoiding Fujairah. They are buying more fuel at Port Louis (Mauritius), South Africa, West Africa, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. At these less familiar ports, ships may meet smaller or less reputable suppliers and weaker quality and compliance support. Operators are bunkering more often, in smaller amounts.

What to do: Engineers at a new bunker port: draw the MARPOL sample properly and keep the ship's own sealed sample. Check the BDN against what you actually received. If possible, keep the new fuel separate until the test result is in.
Affects: C/Es and 2/Es, masters, superintendents When: Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain (Bloomberg) ↗

One-question check

Under MARPOL Annex VI, how long must the ship keep the bunker delivery note (BDN) on board after the fuel is delivered?

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