Shipping & Seafarers

Indian shipping was governed by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, which had grown to 561 sections, alongside the Indian Bills of Lading Act of 1856 and the Indian Carriage of Goods by Sea Act of 1925. Seafarers joining foreign flag ships were recruited through licensed Recruitment and Placement Services under rules of 2016, and new Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) rules of 2017 made the issue of the certificate paperless and online. The number of Indian seafarers employed on Indian or foreign flag vessels rose from 1,26,945 in 2015 to 1,43,940 in 2016 and 1,54,349 in 2017. On 1 April 2017 the Indian flag had 1,313 vessels with 11.55 million gross tonnage.

Employment of Indian seafarers on Indian or foreign flag vessels rose by 35.27% in a single year, from 1,54,349 in 2017 to 2,08,799 in 2018, and reached 2,34,886 in 2019. Under a liberalised CDC regime introduced in 2017, Indian citizens who had passed Class 10 and completed a 14-day basic maritime course could obtain a CDC, where at least six months of training had been required earlier; more than 70,000 CDCs were issued under the new rules in 2018-19. In January 2019 the ministry said India provided 9.35% of the world's seafarers and ranked third among supplying nations. A Government note of June 2026 reported that the number of seafarers had increased from 1.27 lakh to 3.20 lakh.

A CDC is a prerequisite for employment on a vessel, and DG Shipping issues the Indian CDC and regulates maritime training, including a Comprehensive Inspection Programme that grades private training institutes. Indian seafarers are employed either by Indian shipowners on Indian flag ships or on foreign flag ships through licensed Recruitment and Placement Services. On 31 December 2021 India had 1,491 ships with 1,29,94,884 gross tonnage, of which 464 overseas vessels accounted for 1,14,34,863. A revised Right of First Refusal in chartering (2021) gives Indian-built, Indian-flagged ships the highest priority, and a ₹1,624 crore scheme gives subsidy support over five years for flagging merchant ships in India.

Parliament passed the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 on 11 August 2025; it replaces the 1958 Act with 16 Parts and 325 clauses, aligns Indian law with International Maritime Organization conventions and aims to promote Indian tonnage and seafarer welfare. The Bills of Lading Act, 2025 and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025, which received assent on 8 August 2025, came into force on 10 September 2025 because they needed no rules. The Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 replaces Part XIV of the 1958 Act, and the minister said it aims to raise coastal cargo to 230 million tonnes by 2030; in February 2026, 12 technical committees were working on draft rules under the Merchant Shipping Act. The Sagarmala 2.0 programme builds on the Maritime India Vision 2030 and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, while shipbuilding targets are covered on the Shipbuilding & Maritime page.

3.20 lakh seafarers, up from 1.27 lakh (Government note, June 2026). 1,26,945 (2015) → 2,34,886 (2019) Indian seafarers employed on Indian or foreign flag vessels. 9.35% of the world's seafarers (January 2019). 1,250 (2014) → 1,593 (2026) Indian-flagged ships, with gross tonnage 10.5 million → 14.2 million. 561 sections of the 1958 Act replaced by 16 Parts and 325 clauses. Sources: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways via PIB (PRIDs 1561376, 1564700, 1579785, 1655717, 1795496, 2153211, 2153799, 2155271, 2227673, 2251071; Press Note 158838); Gazette of India (8 August 2025).