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Issue 17 · Past issue

India PSC detentions jump to 64; US warns ships off Hormuz; drones hit a box ship off Bulgaria

Thursday, 29 October 2026 · free, no ads · a new issue Tuesday to Saturday

  • 11items
  • 3official sources
  • 5to act on
  • 5 minto read

In 60 seconds

  • PSC: Indian ports detained 64 foreign ships in 2025, up from 39, reported by India Seatrade News.
  • Gulf: the US Navy tells ships that do not need to transit Hormuz to stay well clear.
  • Black Sea: sea drones hit a box ship off Bulgaria. All 18 crew are safe ashore.
  • Safety: phosphine from fumigated holds killed 13 of 21 crew on a bulker. Carry a detector.
  • India: Cyclone Arnab stopped work at Visakhapatnam. Expect delays on the east coast.
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🚨 Act on these first

  1. Marine engineering college in Kilakarai gets a DGMA show-cause notice · 🇮🇳 India — DGMA tracker
  2. Waiting for your Second Mate CoC? 98 were sent by Speed Post on 28 Oct · 🇮🇳 India — DGMA tracker
  3. Hormuz: US Navy tells ships to stay well clear unless they must transit · 🛡️ Security
  4. Black Sea: sea drones hit a box ship off Bulgaria; all 18 crew safe ashore · 🛡️ Security
  5. Lesson: fumigant gas reached the accommodation of a bulker; 13 of 21 crew died · ⚠️ Safety lesson

India — DGMA tracker

India — DGMA tracker Urgent Official

Marine engineering college in Kilakarai gets a DGMA show-cause notice

DGMA issued a show-cause notice on 26 Oct 2026 to Mohammad Sathak Engineering College, Kilakarai, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu (MTI No. 414041). The college is approved for BE / B.Tech Marine Engineering, 30 students a batch. DGMA says it did not complete the Comprehensive Inspection Programme for 2025 under DGS Order 3 of 2026. It also did not reply to DGMA emails of 29 Jun and 2 Sep 2026. It has 15 days from receiving the notice to complete the inspection. If not, DGMA may act ex parte, including withdrawing approval and blocking its e-Governance portal access.

What to do: Cadets and parents: before you pay fees for any pre-sea course, check the institute's approval status on the DGMA website. Students now at this college: watch for DGMA's decision after the 15 days.
Affects: Marine engineering cadets and applicants; parents When: Show-cause notice dated 26 Oct 2026
Source: DGMA - Show cause notice dated 26.10.2026… ↗
India — DGMA tracker Urgent Official

Waiting for your Second Mate CoC? 98 were sent by Speed Post on 28 Oct

The DGMA Nautical Wing published a dispatch list dated 28 Oct 2026. It lists 98 Second Mate CoCs issued on the new portal and sent by Speed Post. Each name has its India Post Speed Post number.

What to do: Second Mate candidates: look for your name in the list. Use the Speed Post number to track your CoC on the India Post website.
Affects: New Second Mate (FG) CoC holders When: Dispatch list dated 28 Oct 2026
Source: DGMA - CoC dispatch list, Nautical Wing, … ↗

Security

Security Urgent Reported

Black Sea: sea drones hit a box ship off Bulgaria; all 18 crew safe ashore

Reported by gCaptain (Reuters) on 28 Oct: three naval drones hit a Liberia-flag container ship about 21 miles south-east of Shabla, inside Bulgaria's EEZ. The ship is managed by Contships Management and was on passage from Haifa to Constanta with 421 containers. A security source said it was badly damaged and listing. The 18 crew (14 Filipino, 4 Ukrainian) were evacuated and are safe ashore. At least 6 merchant ships have been attacked off Bulgaria in recent weeks.

What to do: Ships trading to western Black Sea ports: follow company and flag guidance. Keep a sharp lookout for small fast craft, muster drills fresh, and grab bags and immersion suits ready.
Affects: Crews of ships trading to Romania, Bulgaria and the western Black Sea When: Attack on 28 Oct 2026
Source: gCaptain - Drones hit container ship off … ↗

Safety lesson

Safety lesson Urgent Reported

Lesson: fumigant gas reached the accommodation of a bulker; 13 of 21 crew died

Nautical Institute MARS report 202632, from a China MSA investigation. Shore fumigators put aluminium phosphide tablets in every hold of a bulker loaded with cassava chips. The risks were not explained to the crew. At sea, with a following wind, phosphine leaking from the hatches stayed on deck. The air conditioning was on recirculation and some weathertight doors did not close fully, so the gas was drawn into the accommodation. The crew thought it was food poisoning. The ship had no phosphine detector. The Master and 12 other crew died.

What to do: Fumigated cargo on board? Ask for a full briefing and the fumigant name. Carry phosphine detectors and measure in the accommodation every watch. Keep doors to the deck shut and sealed. Treat nausea, chest tightness and breathlessness as gas poisoning until proved otherwise.
Affects: Masters, C/Os and all crew on bulk carriers carrying fumigated cargo When: MARS report published 29 Sep 2026
Source: The Nautical Institute - MARS 202632 Fumi… ↗

Ports & PSC

Ports & PSC Reported

PSC in Indian ports: 64 foreign ships detained in 2025, up from 39

Reported by India Seatrade News on 28 Oct, from the DGMA Port State Control annual report for 2025. India made 607 initial PSC inspections of foreign-flag ships, 18.3% more than the year before. 64 ships were detained, against 39 in both 2023 and 2024. Inspectors found 2,595 deficiencies, an average of 4.28 per ship. Ships over 20 years old averaged 6.07 deficiencies. Bulk carriers had 14 detentions from 268 inspections, container ships 12 from 71, and oil tankers 11 from 36.

What to do: Calling at an Indian port soon? Masters and C/Os: run your own PSC check before arrival. Look first at fire safety, LSA, ISM records and certificates. On older ships, check the items that failed at the last inspection.
Affects: Masters, officers and crews of foreign-flag ships calling at Indian ports; superintendents When: DGMA PSC annual report 2025, reported 28 Oct 2026
Source: India Seatrade News - India records 64 fo… ↗

IMO & rules

IMO & rules Reported

Reminder: new reporting rules for the Sound, the Great Belt and the Adriatic from 1 Dec

Reported by ABS: three revised IMO ship reporting systems apply from 0000 UTC on 1 Dec 2026. SOUNDREP covers the Sound between Denmark and Sweden, for ships of 300 GT and over. BELTREP covers the Great Belt, for ships of 50 GT and over. ADRIREP covers the Adriatic north of 40 25'N. In the Sound you still need a first VHF call to 'Sound Traffic'. In the Great Belt, ships with an air draught of 15 m or more report height and deadweight by VHF on entry.

What to do: Masters and navigators on Baltic or Adriatic voyages after 1 Dec: add the new reporting points to the passage plan and radio list now. Keep air draught, deadweight, cargo and bunker details ready for the VTS call.
Affects: Masters, OOWs and GMDSS operators on Baltic and Adriatic routes When: 1 Dec 2026, 0000 UTC
Source: ABS Convention Amendment Matrix, October … ↗
IMO & rules Official

Reminder: ILO minimum basic wage for an AB rises to US$704 a month on 1 Jan 2027

The ILO minimum monthly basic wage for an able seafarer is US$690 in 2026. It rises to US$704 from 1 Jan 2027 and to US$715 from 1 Jan 2028. This is the basic wage only, before overtime and other pay. Many collective agreements pay more.

What to do: Ratings signing a contract that runs past 1 Jan 2027: check the basic wage in your SEA before you sign. Crewing offices: update wage scales that follow the ILO figure.
Affects: Ratings (ABs), crewing and payroll staff When: 1 Jan 2027
Source: ILO - seafarers' minimum wage agreement ↗

Shipping industry

Shipping industry Reported

Cyclone Arnab: Visakhapatnam stops work as the storm reaches the Andhra coast

Reported by India Seatrade News on 28 Oct: Cyclone Arnab made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday 28 Oct. Visakhapatnam port suspended operations and was reported to be resuming slowly. Kuehne+Nagel named Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram and Krishnapatnam as possibly affected. Bangladesh issued precautionary alerts. Ships waited about 2 days at Colombo because feeder links were missed.

What to do: Ships at or bound for Bay of Bengal ports: follow IMD and port warnings. Keep anchor watches and engines ready. Expect delays to cargo work and crew changes for some days.
Affects: Masters and crews of ships at east coast Indian ports; crew changes in the region When: Landfall 28 Oct 2026
Source: India Seatrade News - Cyclone Arnab disru… ↗
Shipping industry Reported

India and HD Hyundai move ahead with a US$4 billion shipyard at Thoothukudi

Reported by India Seatrade News on 28 Oct: Ports and Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun in Seoul on Wednesday. HD KSOE confirmed it intends to be the main strategic investor. A joint working group will run the project, and a detailed project report is due within 6 months. Planned capacity is nearly 2.5 million GT a year, subject to that report. It follows an MoU signed on 20 Apr 2026 under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme.

What to do: Nothing to do on board. Engineers and officers thinking of a shore career: watch for newbuild supervision and yard jobs as the project report comes out.
Affects: Indian seafarers looking at shore jobs; superintendents When: Reported 28 Oct 2026
Source: India Seatrade News - India, HD Hyundai a… ↗

Technical advancement

Technical advancement Reported

Methane slip measured on 2 LNG cruise ships: about half the FuelEU default

Reported by Riviera on 28 Oct: MSC Cruises measured methane slip on World Europa and Euribia in normal service, not on a test bed. Both ships have Wartsila 46DF dual-fuel engines. Exhaust gas and engine load were recorded in 'methane files' for verification under IMO and FuelEU rules. World Europa measured 1.67% and Euribia 1.48%. The FuelEU Maritime default value is 3.1%.

What to do: Engineers on LNG dual-fuel ships: your company may start onboard methane measurement campaigns. Ask how the readings and engine-load data must be logged. Slip depends on load, so the load profile you run matters.
Affects: C/Es and engineers on LNG-fuelled ships; technical superintendents When: Reported 28 Oct 2026 💡 Ship types: Passenger / cruise / ferry
Source: Riviera - MSC Cruises testing shows metha… ↗

One-question check

Aluminium phosphide tablets are used to fumigate a cargo hold. What makes them give off toxic phosphine gas?

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