Why Was Ukraine's Seafarer Certification Inspection Abolished, and Who Performs Its Functions Now?

All powers of the seafarer certification inspection were transferred to the Administration of Shipping of Ukraine. This state body now fully coordinates seafarer training, testing, and the issuance of professional documents. Key processes have been moved online via the Diia portal and specialised platforms. As of today, responsibilities are distributed as follows:

1. The State Qualification Commission of Seafarers (SQC) is responsible for administering exams and assessing qualifications. The old commissions have been fully abolished. Seafarers interact with the SQC remotely.
2. Knowledge verification for senior officers has been automated. Officers confirm their qualifications through independent international computer-based testing — CES 6.0.
3. The issuance of working diplomas for both officers and ratings (as well as their endorsements) is handled by regional centres of the Administration of Shipping, with the same function duplicated by service centres of the state enterprise Morrichservice.
4. The function of maintaining the Unified State Register of Seafarer Documents has also been transferred to the Administration of Shipping.
5. Digital copies of valid documents with QR codes are generated directly in the Diia app and web portal.
6. Oversight of approved maritime training centres and the approval of their training programmes rests entirely with the Administration.

If the maritime administration unjustifiably refuses to issue documents, a complaint can be submitted in just one click through the Diia portal.

The large-scale reform of the maritime sector has permanently changed the rules of the game.

Dear seafarers, do not look for old agencies or defunct websites! Important: the old seafarer electronic account formerly administered by the IPDM has been completely shut down and is no longer operational. It was liquidated as part of the anti-corruption and transparency reform.

All certification services have been moved by the maritime administration to the state Diia portal — currently the only official and legitimate service. Complex government services such as submitting applications, verifying sea service, and booking a CES test are available exclusively on the web portal; these features are not available in the mobile app. Any websites other than the official Diia portal are fraudulent. Under no circumstances should you enter your personal data on such sites.

The reform and digitalisation have finally freed seafarers from the need to pay intermediaries to obtain their legitimate working documents. Seafarer certification in Ukraine has become transparent and straightforward, with many procedures significantly simplified.

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