Seatrade-Maritime: LEDGID Bimco Seafarer Digital Certificate Charter’s first signatory

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Start-up LEDGID, maritime digital identity platform, has announced it has become first signatory to the Bimco Seafarer Digital Certificate Charter (SDCC), and named The Mission to Seafarers as its official welfare partner.

LEDGID has built a neutral trust infrastructure for maritime by connecting organisations, allowing verified identity, credentials and compliance records to move with the seafarer across employers, services and jurisdictions. 

The platform gives each seafarer a single verified profile holding their certifications, sea time, experience and compliance records — timestamped, identity-bound and reusable from one ship, contract and country to the next

The Bimco Seafarer Digital Certificate Charter (SDCC) establishes a unified industry standard for the digital issuance, verification and portability of seafarer certificates. It sets out the principles by which seafarer credentials should be created, held and verified in a digital environment, with seafarer ownership, data integrity and interoperability at its core. 

As the first signatory, LEDGID commits to building its platform in line with the Bimco’s Charter’s principles, ensuring that the seafarers who rely on verifiable credentials to secure work and meet compliance obligations are served by a system designed with their interests at the centre.

The Charter gives the industry a shared framework that supports digital trust without compromising on rigour or seafarer protection.

“Being recognised as the first signatory to the Bimco Seafarer Digital Certificate Charter is an important milestone for LEDGID and a strong signal for the wider industry. Maritime needs shared, best-in-class approaches to digital trust, not more fragmentation. Credentials only create real value when they are portable, auditable and usable across the ecosystem in a way that supports seafarers, employers, service providers and regulators alike. That is the direction this Charter represents, and we are proud to support it,” said Henning Davies, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, LEDGID

Alongside the Charter, LEDGID has named The Mission to Seafarers as its official welfare partner. The two organisations share a belief that the world’s seafarers deserve more than the system they have inherited, and the practical means to deliver something better.

LEDGID says it adds is a way of turning everyday port visits, training opportunities and welfare touchpoints into moments where seafarers can also take ownership of their professional identity. 

For the Mission, the partnership extends its work of practical care into the digital sphere, equipping the seafarers it serves with tools that protect their livelihoods, not only their wellbeing. For LEDGID, it ensures the platform is shaped by the realities of life at sea. 

“For seafarers, welfare is not only about support during times of crisis. It is also about ensuring they have the tools, information and opportunities they need to thrive throughout their careers. We are pleased to partner with LEDGID on an initiative that places seafarers at the centre, helping them take greater ownership of their professional identity while ensuring that digital innovation remains grounded in the realities of life at sea,” commented Ben Bailey, Director of Programmes, The Mission to Seafarers.

“Through Seafarer Social, the message from seafarers is consistent. They want a system that recognises their qualifications, respects their ownership of their own records and works across borders, employers and regulators. Bringing together the Charter and a welfare partner of the Mission’s standing is exactly what neutrality and best practice look like in practice,” said Carl King, Founder of Seafarer Social and adviser to LEDGID.

The welfare partnership will be activated through joint programmes across port centres and welfare touchpoints in the further months. Specific port activations, training programmes and joint initiatives will follow throughout the year.