Haresh Sadhwani 
Minimum safe manning for passenger ships on international voyages comes from Annexure G-1 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it sets a heavier deck crew than any cargo ship of the same size carries. A passenger vessel under 200 GT needs 7 nautical crew. A vessel of 3000 GT and above needs 11, … Read more
Minimum safe manning for RVS in unrestricted operations comes from Annexure F-7 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it is reserved for a single vessel category: Type 4 RSVs, the only river-sea vessels cleared to ply between Indian ports in all weather conditions, with none of the duration or daylight limits that apply … Read more
Safe manning for river-sea vessels on daylight voyages comes from Annexure F-5 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it applies the moment an RSV Type 2, 3, or 4 leaves harbour limits for a genuine daylight run between two nearby ports. A vessel under 200 GT needs 4 nautical crew. A vessel from … Read more
Safe manning for coastal voyages under 48 hours for river-sea vessels comes from Annexure F-6 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it applies once a Type 3 or Type 4 RSV leaves the harbour for a genuine coastal passage, provided that passage runs under 48 hours. A vessel under 200 GT needs 4 … Read more
Safe manning for River-Sea Vessels in harbour operations comes from Annexure F-4 of DGMA Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it is the scale that applies the moment a river-sea vessel (RSV) is confined to port limits, provided that vessel is not classed as RSV Type 1. A vessel under 200 GT needs just 3 … Read more
Minimum safe manning requirements for River-Sea Vessels Type 1 come from Annexure F-3 of Circular No. 54 of 2025. The scale covers five GT bands, from F3-a to F3-e. The minimum crew increases from 3 persons for vessels below 200 GT to 8 persons for vessels of 3000 GT and above but below 6000 GT. … Read more
Minimum safe manning for ICVs on the Indian coast operating on the Indian coast comes from Annexure F-2 of Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it’s a genuinely different scale from the harbour-only rules we covered in our last guide. A vessel under 200 GT needs 4 nautical crew here, not the 3 required under … Read more
Minimum safe manning for Indian coastal vessels in harbour operations comes from Annexure F-1 of Circular No. 54 of 2025, and it sets one of the lightest crew scales in the entire circular. A vessel under 200 GT needs just 3 nautical crew. A vessel at 6000 GT still needs only 8, far fewer than … Read more
Minimum safe manning requirements for foreign offshore areas come from Annexure E-2 of Circular No. 54 of 2025, and they set the strictest certificate standard of any offshore scale in the circular. Every vessel, even one under 200 GT, needs a master holding a foreign-going certificate. There is no NCV option anywhere on this scale, … Read more
Minimum safe manning requirements for Indian offshore vessels come from Annexure E-1 of Circular No. 54 of 2025, and they cover ships working the zone between 20 nautical miles off the Indian coast and the outer edge of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone. A vessel under 200 GT needs 5 nautical crew. A vessel at 6000 … Read more
