Merchant Shipping Bill 2025
Source: PIB
GS II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Overview
- News in Brief
- About Merchant Shipping Bill 2025
Why in the News?
The Lok Sabha cleared the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025.
News in Brief
- Aimed at streamlining maritime governance with a modern and internationally compliant approach.
- This Bill represents a decisive step towards positioning India as a global leader in maritime trade and governance.
- It is a progressive and advanced legislation, up to date with international maritime conventions and informed by the best practices of leading maritime nations.
About Merchant Shipping Bill 2025
- The Bill broadens the definition of “vessels” to include a wider range of marine craft, such as mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), submersibles, and non-displacement crafts.
- The 2025 Bill makes vessel registration mandatory for all vessels, regardless of their propulsion type or weight. It also introduces a new provision for temporary registration, specifically for vessels intended for recycling, which helps streamline operations at ship recycling hubs like Alang.
- It allows for partial ownership by Indian citizens, entities registered under Indian law, registered cooperative societies, and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs). The previous law required 100% Indian ownership.
- The Bill expands welfare provisions to cover Indian seafarers working on foreign-flagged vessels, a group that was previously excluded.
- While the 1958 Act had some provisions, the 2025 Bill fully incorporates international conventions like MARPOL to prevent and combat marine pollution.
- The Bill renames the Director-General of Shipping to the Director-General of Marine Administration. This official is also given the authority to regulate maritime education and training.
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