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Manning agencies are the licensed recruiters that place seafarers on vessels operated by shipowners and ship managers. Under STCW, MLC 2006, and each supplying nation's domestic law, an agency must hold a current licence from its national maritime administration to legally recruit seafarers. This directory catalogues 531 such agencies across the four largest seafarer-supplying nations plus a growing tail.
Each supplying nation regulates its own agencies. Always verify licence status directly with the issuing authority before signing.
Successor to POEA. Verify at databasecheck.dmw.gov.ph. Roughly 60% of the world's working seafarers hold Philippine papers.
Verify RPSL-licensed agencies at dgshipping.gov.in. India supplies most of the world's senior deck and engine officers.
Ukraine remains one of the top-5 seafarer-supplying nations despite the 2022 war; agencies typically operate from Odesa, Kherson, or Mariupol pre-war addresses.
Fast-growing supplier of ratings and tanker crews. Agencies are regulated under the Ministry of Manpower Regulation on seafarer recruitment.
No legitimate manning agency asks a seafarer to pay an upfront fee for a job offer. See our recruitment red flags guide for the warning signs of scam operations.
· Full agency registry — searchable list of all 531 agencies.
· How to verify a manning agency licence — step-by-step for each authority.