Background: The Indian Government is introducing the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 and Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 to modernize the maritime sector and attract global investment, replacing outdated laws from 1958 and 1838.
Relevance: GS 3 (Infrastructure )
Merchant Shipping Bill:
- Vessel Registration: Allows foreign investment and reduces ownership thresholds, enabling NRIs, OCIs, and LLPs to register Indian vessels.
- Expanded Vessel Definition: Includes various offshore and non-mechanized vessels (e.g., submersibles, barges), addressing regulatory gaps.
- Ship Recycling: Facilitates temporary registration for vessels destined for demolition, supporting India’s ship recycling hubs.
- Maritime Training: Introduces a legal framework to regulate private maritime training institutes.
- Marine Pollution: Aligns India’s regulations with international conventions to combat marine pollution.
- Seafarer Welfare: Extends welfare provisions to Indian seafarers working on foreign-flagged ships.
Coastal Shipping Bill:
- Coastal Shipping Focus: Separates the technical regulation of ships and commercial operations along Indian coasts, integrating inland and coastal shipping.
- Sagarmala Alignment: Promotes coastal shipping with better infrastructure and connectivity for coastal cargo, supporting the Sagarmala program.
