The Directorate General of Shipping has issued Merchant Shipping Notice No. 05 of 2025, dated 7 May 2025, requiring all vessels entering or transiting Indian waters to hold a valid Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Insurance Certificate.
The notice addresses incidents where P&I insurers declined pollution claims due to invalid certificates, often resulting from non-payment of premiums.
The notice mandates that P&I coverage include cargo loss and damage, pollution by oil and other hazardous substances, wreck removal, collision, and damage to property.
At Sikka Port, authorities require P&I certificates to explicitly cover wreck removal, oil pollution, and collision clauses.
Vessel owners, operators, masters, or their representatives must review P&I coverage to ensure compliance with domestic and international regulations, verify the validity of P&I Insurance Certificates, Blue Cards, and Certificates of Insurance or Other Financial Security (CIOFS), and submit these documents via the Maritime Single Window (MSW) Portal before arrival.
Certificates must be in original, certified, or electronic form and verifiable online. Port authorities at major and non-major ports and maritime boards must verify P&I certificate authenticity through the issuing insurer’s official website, using the International Group of P&I Clubs’ verification system or the respective non-IG insurer’s website listed on the DGS website.
The certificate’s validity must cover the vessel’s entire port stay. If technical issues arise, verification through local P&I insurer correspondents is permitted, with correspondent lists required to be updated on insurers’ websites.
P&I insurers must indicate on their websites if a certificate is invalid due to deferred or unpaid premiums. Failure to do so presumes the certificate’s validity, and insurers cannot repudiate liability.
The website must also confirm coverage for at least three months from the vessel’s entry or the annual renewal date, typically 20 February.
Non-IG insurers have six months from the notice’s issuance to update their websites, after which port authorities will rely solely on these platforms for verification. Email verification will be discontinued thereafter.
Any irregularities or suspicions regarding the authenticity or validity of P&I Insurance Certificates, Blue Cards, or CIOFS must be reported to the Directorate General of Shipping immediately.
Vessels with unresolved issues will be denied entry or directed to depart Indian waters if already present.
The Directorate General of Shipping is an agency under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India. Established to implement shipping policy and legislation, it oversees maritime safety, prevention of marine pollution, maritime education, seafarers’ welfare, and the development of coastal shipping. The DGS regulates vessel compliance, conducts inspections, and issues certifications for merchant navy officers. It also maintains a list of approved insurers and correspondents for P&I verification.
The International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs is a not-for-profit association of 12 mutual insurance clubs, providing liability cover for approximately 90% of global ocean-going tonnage. Each club is owned and managed by shipowners and charterers, offering coverage for third-party liabilities such as personal injury, cargo damage, pollution, wreck removal, and collisions. The group operates a claims-sharing pooling agreement for liabilities exceeding $10 million and coordinates collective reinsurance. It also serves as a forum for industry collaboration and engages with maritime regulators globally.