Kochi
UN/LOCODE INCOK · India · Asia-Pacific · KL
Crew guide
Shore leave
Kochi (Cochin), India's principal west-coast port south of Mumbai, handles container, bulk, and naval traffic. Home to Cochin Shipyard. Shore leave is granted under standard Indian procedure. Welfare provision via Stella Maris Cochin + Mission to Seafarers.
Walking distance + transit
Cochin Port (Willingdon Island) is 10-20 minutes from central Kochi by ferry or causeway. Kochi has improved metro and good roads.
Essentials
- ATMs: SBI, HDFC, Federal Bank, South Indian Bank everywhere
- Money changers: Lulu Mall, Centre Square Mall
- Hospital: Amrita Institute (large private), Lakeshore Hospital, Aster Medcity
- Prayer rooms: Kochi has several mosques; majority-Muslim coastal region in Kerala
- Halal food: ubiquitous in Kochi due to Kerala's Muslim community
- Supermarket: Lulu Hypermarket (the largest hypermarket chain in Kerala), Reliance Fresh, More
- SIM card: same Indian options
Seafarer tips
Do: try Kerala's distinctive cuisine (heavy use of coconut and seafood). Don't: assume Kerala works like other Indian states — strong communist political history, organised labour. Watch for: monsoon season (June-September) brings heavy rainfall; crew-change flight delays are common.
Last verified: 2026-06-29. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Kochi (UN/LOCODE INCOK) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in India (KL) in the tropical northern Indian Ocean region. The port operates on Asia/Kolkata, uses the Indian Rupee (INR), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type C/D/M). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Cochin International Airport (COK), 25 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 9.9667, 76.2667
- Time zone
- Asia/KolkataUTC +05:30no DST
- Local currency
- INR— Indian Rupee
- Languages
- hi, en
- Nearest airport
- COKCochin International Airport~25 km
- Electricity
- 230 V50 Hzplugs C, D, M(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- AwTropical savanna (dry winter)
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 123456--
seaport · rail terminal · road terminal · airport · postal exchange · inland clearance / multimodal
Helplines for seafarers in India
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- NUSI (India)Asia-Pacific · Office hours · en, hi
- MUI (India)Asia-Pacific · Office hours · en, hi
- Sailors' Society IndiaSouth Asia · Mon–Sat · en, hi, ml, ta
- National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI)South Asia · Office hours · en, hi
- NUSI (National Union of Seafarers of India)Asia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 9:30-18 IST · hi, en
- MUI (Maritime Union of India)Asia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 10-18 IST · hi, en
Other ports in India
Survival information
Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.
Emergency contacts
- India National Emergency Number: 112 · 24/7
- Cochin Port Trust duty officer: +91 484 258 2123 · 24/7
Hospitals / clinics
- Lakeshore HospitalNH 47 Bypass, Maradu, Kochi
Shore leave
India generally permits shore leave under a port shore-pass arranged by the vessel's agent. Long-term stays or onward travel require an Indian visa (e-visa available for most nationalities at indianvisaonline.gov.in). Reference: mea.gov.in.
Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card
Transport
Nearest major airport: Cochin International Airport (COK (~25 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.
SIM & Wi-Fi
Major operators: Jio, Airtel, Vi (Vodafone Idea). Tourist SIM requires passport + photo + local address. Buying at airport (BOM/MAA/COK/DEL) is fastest. Free Wi-Fi at Seafarers Mission Mumbai + Mariner Club Mumbai (12 Mohammed Bhai Building, Colaba).
Consular contacts
Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.
Port-state-control region: indian ocean MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Kochi: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Kochi?
- Shore leave at Kochi: India generally permits shore leave under a port shore-pass arranged by the vessel's agent. Long-term stays or onward travel require an Indian visa (e-visa available for most nationalities at indianvisaonline.gov.in). Reference: mea.gov.in.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of India. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Kochi?
- Seafarers calling at Kochi on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. India may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Kochi?
- Yes — 1 seafarer welfare centre is listed for Kochi in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Kochi?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for India in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Kochi?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Cochin International Airport (COK), about 25 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Kochi a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Kochi is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (12)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (IN)retrieved 2026-05-06
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (IN)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (INR)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (INR)retrieved 2026-05-06
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (IN)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Asia/Kolkata)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Kolkata)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Kolkata)retrieved 2026-05-06
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (IN)retrieved 2026-05-06
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (123456--)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (COK)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (IN)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.