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Parliament Passes Two Landmark Maritime Bills to Modernise India’s Shipping Laws
A massive shot in the arm in the India maritime sector, the Parliament has approved two historic bills on one single day, which is a first within the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW). The goals of these reforms are to modernize the current laws with a contemporary blueprint that is enhanced globally with a view to ensuring efficiency, safety, and ease of conducting business in the shipping industry.
The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 passed by the Lok Sabha in place of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958. The bill is 16 parts and 325 clauses spanning and which aligns shipping laws in India with international maritime conventions. It focuses on improving maritime security, environmental protection and response strategies and makes the compliance effort simpler. Another objective of the legislation is to raise the Indian shipping tonnage and safeguard the welfare of seafarers and this points to a serious act of turning India into a credible international maritime jurisdiction.
Also on the same day The Rajya Sabha passed the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill 2025 to replace the nearly century old Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1925. The new law references the global rules of The Hague-Visby Rules, which provide a better understanding of the contractual liabilities, minimize the chances of disputes and provide enhanced transparency. The simplification with this should greatly enhance ease of doing business in the maritime trade and enhance the competitiveness of India in shipping routes globally.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, hailed the passage of both bills as a historic moment.
“With the passage of the bills, the Modi government’s push for India’s modern shipping gets double endorsement from Parliament,” he said.
Collectively, these legislative developments represent a breakthrough change in its maritime governance, as it does away with its outdated maritime legislations to adopt a new regime based on modern laws that are compliant with the industry best practices to consolidate its desire to become a global leader in international shipping.
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