India unveils 20 major maritime reforms to cut logistics costs and boost global trade presence
The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways is preparing to roll out about 20 sectoral reforms in the first 90 days of FY27, including the creation of a maritime sector regulator, revamped shipbuilding incentives and measures to increase India’s shipping tonnage, as part of a plan to strengthen the country’s maritime ecosystem and cut logistics costs.The reform push, which is being finalized, is aimed at improving regulatory oversight, boosting domestic shipbuilding, increasing the share of Indian-flagged vessels in global trade and enhancing the ease of doing business across ports, shipping and inland waterways, two people aware of the matter said.“Reform measures like a dedicated maritime regulator, stronger support for shipbuilding and container manufacturing, and a push toward inland waterways and coastal shipping are especially impactful. They not only build domestic capacity but also make logistics more cost-effective and sustainable,” said Pushpank Kaushik, CEO and head of business development at Jassper Shipping, a global shipping and logistics company in Hyderabad.A key proposal under consideration is the setting up of a strengthened maritime regulator by expanding the role of the Directorate General of Shipping, which would be given wider powers over safety regulation, maritime training, ship registration and oversight of shipping operations.
The move is aimed at creating a modern regulator in line with global maritime nations. The DG Shipping will be rechristened as the Directorate General of Maritime Administration.The ministry is working on revamped shipbuilding guidelines and a new framework to promote shipbuilding clusters in India, with the aim of increasing domestic capacity and reducing dependence on
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