India's New Shipping Bills: Environmental Focus and Sustainability

Mumbai, Feb 20 (PTI) Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the upcoming Coastal Shipping and Merchant Shipping Bills will integrate stronger environmental standard and compliance measures, ensuring that India remains a global torch bearer for the industry's sustainability.

Delivering the valedictory address at the Green Shipping Conclave 2025 here, Sinowal, who is the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, also called for a united approach and collaborative strategies for the transformation to be effective.

"Our upcoming Coastal Shipping, Bill and Merchant Shipping, Bill will integrate stronger environmental standard and compliance measures ensuring that India remains a global torch beare for the maritime sustainability," Sonowal said.

The two Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament last December.

The Coastal Shipping Bill 2024 seeks prohibition of trade in the coastal water without licence by vessels other than Indian vessels and permitting inland vessels to engage in coastal trading, subject to certain conditions.

It also seeks to empower the director general to issue licence after taking into consideration certain factors, including citizenship of the crew and building requirements of the vessel, so as to create major jobs for Indian seafarers and to promote ship building in the country.

On the other hand, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 empowers the central government to take charge and detain vessels within India or in coastal waters as a vessel without nationality, if such vessel is not legally entitled to fly the flag of a state or has lost such right.

The bill seeks to repeal the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and provides for contemporaneous, futuristic, and dynamic legislation to meet the requirements of India as an emerging economy.

The minister emphasised that the seas "do not belong to one nation alone", and that they are shared by all.

"Our approach must be united (and) our strategies collaboratives for this transformation to be effective," he said.

He said the maritime sector must act decisively, embracing green in all areas -- energy, ships, gateways, recycling, capital, alliances, and governance -- as the pilar of this transformation.

"India is not merely following global standard, we are setting those standards," he said.

Sonowal added that the Rs 25,000-crore maritime development fund announced in the Union Budget for 2025-26 is catalysing investment in greenport infrastructure, feet modernisation, and alternative fuel ecosystem.