In the 1950s, the concept of an universal identification document was brought up before the ILO and accordingly the International Labour Organisation (ILO) put forward the ILO Convention C108 on the seafarers Identity Document. India is a signatory to this convention and accordingly issues a Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) – cum – Seafarers Identity Document to its seafarers.
With the need for a more uniform and robust identification system being felt, the ILO adopted another Convention C185 regarding the Biometric Seafarers Identity Document (BSID) to be issued to seafarers. This biometric document would have the biomentrics of the seafarer barcoded onto it and a centralized database would be maintained in the issuing country. This database would be accessible globally through an interoperable and standard biometric template.
India, having ratified this convention, started the process for issuing the BSID in 2018.
Maritime Outlook 