What Is the Minimum Safe Manning Scale for Passenger Ships Operating Between Indian Ports?

Minimum safe manning for passenger ships between Indian ports comes from Annexure G-4 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it is the tightest operating envelope of any passenger vessel scale covered in this series so far. A passenger vessel under 200 GT needs 6 nautical crew here. A vessel of 6000 GT and above needs 11, and unlike the international and NCV scales already covered, this entire annexure only applies to fair-weather operation at every tonnage, not just at the smallest tier.

If you manage a passenger ship, Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax vessel, or special trade passenger ship shuttling between two Indian ports on a short coastal hop, Annexure G-4 is the table that decides its Minimum Safe Manning Document (MSMD), not the wider international scale under Annexure G-1 or the NCV scale under Annexure G-2. Both of those annexures cover voyages that leave Indian waters. Annexure G-4 covers something much narrower by design, a specific two-port passenger hop that stays within 5 nautical miles of the coast and only happens in fair weather.

This guide continues our series on minimum safe manning requirements for Indian flag vessels, which maps every annexure in DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025. It is the third post in the passenger vessel subcluster, following our guides to Annexure G-1’s international voyages and Annexure G-2’s NCV and short international voyages, and Annexure G-3 covers Indian coast operations within 20 nautical miles.

What Makes Annexure G-4 Different From Annexure G-1 and Annexure G-2?

Every annexure in the G-series covers passenger ships, Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax vessels, and special trade passenger vessels. What changes annexure to annexure is how far the vessel is permitted to sail and under what conditions, and Annexure G-4 sits at the most restrictive end of that spectrum among the scales this series has covered so far.

What Does “Within 5 Nautical Miles of the Coast” Actually Restrict?

Annexure G-4’s own title names two conditions together: operation between two Indian ports and a 5 nautical mile limit from the coast. This is considerably tighter than Annexure G-2’s NCV region, which covers the broader near-coastal zone, and tighter again than the 20 nautical mile limit that will define Annexure G-3. A G-4 vessel is not making a coastal passage in the way a near-coastal cargo ship might. It is running a short, defined hop between two named ports, hugging the coastline for the entire trip.

Why Is Fair Weather Built Into the Annexure’s Own Scope, Not Just a Footnote?

Most annexures in this circular treat fair weather as a footnote limiting the smallest tonnage tier only, typically vessels under 200 GT. Annexure G-4 handles it differently. The annexure’s own title states that the entire operation it covers happens in fair weather, which means every code on this table, from G4-a up to G4-f, applies specifically to fair-weather operation between two Indian ports.

On top of that, note 3 separately restricts vessels under 200 GT, Code G4-a, to fair-weather operation only, unless DGMA specifically authorises otherwise. In practice this means Code G4-a carries the fair-weather condition twice over, once from the annexure’s own definition and once from its own specific note, while every other code on the table carries it once, through the annexure’s scope alone.

What Is the Complete Annexure G-4 Minimum safe manning for passenger ships between Indian ports?

Annexure G-4 runs across six gross tonnage bands, from under 200 GT up to 6000 GT and above, the most granular tonnage banding of any G-series annexure covered in this series to date. The table below sets out the nautical, meaning deck department, scale only. Engine room manning for passenger vessels is prescribed separately.

Reference Code

GT of Vessel

Master

No.

Chief Officer

No.

OINW

No.

AB

No.

OS

No.

Cook

No.

G4-a

Under 200

Master NCV (500 GT) or NWKO NCV with 1 year experience

1

NWKO NCV or 1st Class IV Master

1

Not required

–

Able Seafarer Deck (II/5) or rating forming part of a navigational watch (II/4)

2

Rating with Basic STCW safety training

1

Basic STCW safety training and CoC as Cook, as applicable

1, plus 1 more on voyages over 12 hours

G4-b

200 to under 500

Master NCV (500 GT) or NWKO NCV with 1 year experience

1

NWKO NCV

1

Not required

–

(as above)

2

(as above)

2

(as above)

1, plus 1 more on voyages over 12 hours

G4-c

500 to under 1600

Master NCV or NWKO NCV with 1 year experience

1

NWKO NCV

1

Not required

–

(as above)

2

(as above)

3

(as above)

1

G4-d

1600 to under 3000

Master NCV or Mate NCV with 1 year experience

1

NWKO NCV

1

NWKO NCV, plus 1 more on voyages over 12 hours

1

(as above)

2

(as above)

4

(as above)

1

G4-e

3000 to under 6000

Master NCV

1

Mate NCV

1

NWKO NCV, plus 1 more on voyages over 12 hours

1

(as above)

2

(as above)

4

(as above)

1

G4-f

6000 and above

Master (FG)

1

Mate (FG)

1

NWKO NCV

2

(as above)

2

(as above)

4

(as above)

1

Add up each row’s base numbers, and total nautical crew runs 6, 7, 8, 10, 10, and 11 across Codes G4-a to G4-f before accounting for the voyage-length addition described below. One certificate rule applies to the whole table: at least one officer must hold a valid Indian GMDSS Certificate of Competency, a simpler requirement than the dedicated-radio-officer-or-two-deck-officers rule found on Annexures G-1 and G-2.

How Does Crew Size Change Across the G-4 Gross Tonnage Bands?

What Applies Below 500 GT (Codes G4-a and G4-b)?

Code G4-a needs 6 nautical crew: a master, a chief officer, 2 AB ratings, 1 OS rating, and a cook. Code G4-b adds a second OS, taking the total to 7. No numbered OINW position appears at either tier. The Chief Officer’s certificate steps up slightly between the two codes as well, from an NWKO NCV or 1st Class IV Master option at G4-a to NWKO NCV specifically at G4-b.

What Changes at 500 to Under 1600 GT (Code G4-c)?

The crew rises to 8 at Code G4-c, entirely through a third OS rating joining the AB pair. Master, Chief Officer, AB, and Cook numbers hold flat from Code G4-b.

What happens at 1600 to under 6000 GT (codes G4-d and G4-e)?

Crew jumps to 10 at Code G4-d, a 2-person increase, split between a new OINW position, filled by an NWKO NCV holder, and a fourth OS rating. Code G4-e holds the same total, 10, with the Master’s and Chief Officer’s certificates stepping from NCV-with-experience options to straight Master NCV and Mate NCV, but no change in headcount.

What Applies at 6000 GT and Above (Code G4-f)?

Code G4-f adds one more crew member, taking the total to 11, driven entirely by the OINW position doubling from 1 to 2. This is also the only code on the entire G-4 scale to require FG certification, and only at the master and chief officer positions. Every rating position, AB, OS, and Cook, along with the OINW position itself, stays on NCV certification even at the top of the scale.

Why Does the OS Count Climb From 1 to 4 While AB Stays Flat at 2?

This is one of the more distinctive patterns on Annexure G-4, and it is worth flagging directly since it does not match the way crew usually scales on other annexures in this circular. The AB rating count never moves. It sits at 2 across every single code, from Code G4-a’s smallest vessels up through Code G4-f’s largest. The OS rating count, by contrast, climbs steadily from 1 at Code G4-a to 2, then 3, then 4, before plateauing at Code G4-d and holding there through the top of the scale.

The practical reading is that Annexure G-4 treats AB-level watchkeeping and deck capability as a fixed requirement regardless of vessel size, satisfied by 2 ABs on even the largest G-4 vessel, while general rating support scales with passenger and vessel handling needs as tonnage grows. A larger vessel on this short coastal hop needs more hands for mooring, passenger movement, and general deck work at each port call, which is exactly the kind of duty an OS rating covers, without needing a proportionally larger AB watchkeeping complement to match.

What Extra Crew Applies to Voyages Longer Than 12 Hours?

Annexure G-4 carries its own conditional add-on, separate from anything covered on Annexure G-1 or Annexure G-2, tied specifically to how long a given voyage between two ports actually takes.

Which Position Gets the Extra Hand at the Smallest Tiers?

At Codes G4-a and G4-b, where no numbered OINW position exists in the base table, the extra crew member required for a voyage exceeding 12 hours shows up as an additional cook. A Code G4-a vessel making its ordinary short hop sails with 1 cook. The same vessel on a voyage that runs longer than 12 hours needs 2.

Which Position Gets the Extra Hand From 1600 GT Upward?

At Codes G4-d and G4-e, where a numbered OINW position already exists in the base table, the same 12-hour condition adds a second OINW-qualified officer instead of a second cook. Codes G4-c and G4-f are not affected by this condition at all. Code G4-c’s base crew already carries no OINW position, and no note applies to its cook, and Code G4-f’s OINW requirement is already fixed at 2 regardless of voyage length. A shipping company running G-4 vessels on routes that sometimes stretch past 12 hours needs to check which tier its vessel falls into before assuming the base crew count from the main table is sufficient.

What Certificate and GMDSS Rules Apply Under Annexure G-4?

Annexure G-4 runs almost entirely on NCV certification. Master and Chief Officer positions hold NCV or Class IV qualifications, depending on tonnage, at every code except the very top of the scale.

When Does a G-4 Vessel Finally Need FG Certification?

Only at Code G4-f, 6000 GT and above, do the master and chief officer positions require foreign-going certification. This is notably higher than the equivalent FG step on Annexure G-2, which requires FG certification from the same 6000 GT threshold but on a scale that also allows a temporary FG substitution at any tonnage under note 2. Annexure G-4 carries no such voyage-based FG trigger. Because every voyage under this annexure stays within 5 nautical miles of the Indian coast by definition, there is no scenario where a G-4 vessel needs to swap in FG-certificated officers for a specific trip the way a G-2 vessel sometimes does.

The GMDSS requirement is also simpler here than on the international and NCV scales. Annexure G-4 requires at least one officer to hold a valid Indian GMDSS Certificate of Competency, full stop, rather than the dedicated-radio-officer-or-two-deck-officers structure used on Annexures G-1 and G-2. A single qualified officer satisfies this requirement at every tonnage band on Annexure G-4.

How Does Annexure G-4 Compare With Annexure C for the Indian Coast?

Annexure C sets the equivalent scale for cargo and non-passenger vessels operating on the Indian coast, including Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep. It shares the exact same six Gross Tonnage bands as Annexure G-4, making a direct comparison possible across the full scale.

GT Band	Annexure C Total Crew (Cargo)	Annexure G-4 Total Crew (Passenger)	Difference
Under 200	4	6	+2
200 to under 500	6	7	+1
500 to under 1600	7	8	+1
1600 to under 3000	7	10	+3
3000 to under 6000	8	10	+2
6000 and above	8	11	+3

Why Does the Passenger Crew Premium Widen Instead of Disappear at the Top Tier?

This is a different pattern from what turns up when Annexure G-1 is compared with Annexure A, or Annexure G-2 with Annexure B. On those two comparisons, the passenger and cargo scales converge to an identical total once a vessel reaches the largest tonnage band. Annexure G-4 does not converge with Annexure C at all. The gap actually widens at the top of the scale, from a 2-person difference at 3000 to under 6000 GT to a 3-person difference at 6000 GT and above.

The likely explanation sits in what each annexure is built around. Annexure A and Annexure G-1 both cover unrestricted international voyages, where a large enough vessel of either type needs a broadly similar bridge and deck complement regardless of whether it carries passengers or cargo. Annexure G-4, by contrast, stays tied to a short, repeated two-port passenger operation at every tonnage, including its largest vessels, so the additional passenger-handling and evacuation capacity that Annexure C’s cargo scale never needs keeps adding crew even as vessel size grows, rather than being absorbed into a size-driven baseline that both scales converge on.

Where Does Annexure G-4 Fit Within the Full Passenger Vessel Framework?

Annexure G-4 is the fourth of seven scales covering passenger ships, Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax vessels, and special trade passenger vessels. G-1 covers unrestricted international voyages requiring FG certification outright. G-2 covers NCV trade and the short international voyages that occasionally step outside it. G-3, not yet covered in this series, will set the scale for operations on the Indian coast within 20 nautical miles, a wider envelope than G-4’s 5 nautical mile limit but narrower than G-2’s NCV region. G-4, this guide, covers the tightest coastal operation of the four: a specific two-port hop, in fair weather, within 5 nautical miles.

Two further annexures apply specifically to River-Sea passenger vessels: G-5 for Type 3 River-Sea passenger vessels, including Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax configurations, and G-6 for the equivalent Type 4 vessels, capped at carrying between 12 and 400 passengers. The final annexure, G-7, departs from gross tonnage banding entirely and sets one fixed crew for Category A high-speed craft operating out of Port Blair and the Indian offshore region, restricted to daylight hours. Read together, G-1 through G-4 show a consistent pattern: the tighter the voyage, the more the certificate requirement leans toward NCV, right up until the point where sheer vessel size, at 6000 GT and above, brings FG certification back regardless of how short the actual voyage is.

How Do Shipowners Get an Annexure G-4 Manning Scale Approved?

The approval process runs through the same steps used across every annexure in the circular, with one extra confirmation specific to G-4’s voyage-length condition.

1. Confirm the vessel’s gross tonnage and the correct code, G4-a through G4-f.
2. Confirm that the intended service genuinely fits Annexure G-4’s scope, a two-port hop within 5 nautical miles of the coast, in fair weather, rather than a wider coastal or NCV operation that would fall under a different annexure.
3. Check whether any scheduled voyage on the route is likely to exceed 12 hours, and if so, plan for the additional cook or OINW-qualified officer that condition requires at the relevant tonnage tier.
4. Submit the safe manning proposal, together with the prescribed self-assessment checklist, to the concerned Mercantile Marine Department.

The MMD checks the proposal against the Annexure G-4 minimum for the vessel’s confirmed tonnage and against any additional crew the company proposes for trading needs or rest-hour compliance before issuing the approved MSMD. Our pillar guide’s approval and dispensation section covers that process in full, including how a temporary dispensation is handled if a crew member falls sick or becomes unavailable close to sailing.

Once approved, the vessel must sail strictly to the crew numbers on that MSMD, and companies handling crew placement need current Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) registration before they can place officers or ratings against it. A walkthrough of that RPSL registration process is worth reviewing before a company takes on its first G-4 vessel, particularly since crew turnover on short, repeated coastal routes tends to run higher than on longer international voyages.

Ratings working toward AB and OS positions on a G-4 vessel typically start with a GP Rating course, and the GMDSS qualification required at every tonnage band is available through courses listed in our directory of DGMA-approved maritime training institutes. Officers whose vessel is approaching the 6000 GT threshold and who will need to move from NCV to FG certification at Code G4-f can prepare early through a Second Mate FG course, and existing certificate holders due for renewal can check the process in our CoC revalidation guide.

Crew joining a G-4 vessel should also confirm current fitness through a DGMA approved doctor, a step covered in our guide to mandatory medical tests for seafarers, and hold a valid BSID card for the port movement that repeated two-port service naturally involves. Given how frequently a G-4 vessel calls at port compared to a longer-voyage ship, rest-hour compliance is worth watching closely, and our guide to maritime conventions for Indian seafarers covers the STCW rest-hour standards behind that. Where a crew member becomes unavailable at short notice, checking eligibility for one of the SWFS welfare schemes is worth doing alongside sourcing a replacement, rather than after the fact.

What Happens If a Passenger Ship Sails Below Its Approved G-4 Manning Scale?

The baseline compliance rule carries over from every other annexure in this circular: a vessel must be crewed strictly to the numbers on its approved MSMD, and sailing short is treated as a compliance failure during Flag State and Port State inspections, not a matter of owner discretion.

Annexure G-4 adds a specific failure mode tied to its voyage-length condition. A vessel correctly crewed for its usual short hop under Code G4-a or G4-d can still fall out of compliance if a particular voyage runs past 12 hours without the additional Cook or OINW-qualified officer that condition requires. Since G-4 vessels typically run short, repeated routes, it can be easy to assume every voyage fits the standard schedule and overlook the one trip that runs long enough to trigger the extra crew requirement. Building a routine check of expected voyage duration into pre-departure planning is the simplest way to avoid that gap.

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