Ship owners worldwide invited to now flag their ships in India

Ship owners worldwide invited to now flag their ships in India to take advantage of the Make in India policy of the Government

Government of India has recently revised its Make in India Policy for public procurement, among others, of all services.
Under the revised policy, no global tender enquiry shall be issued, except with the approval of the Competent Authority, for the procurement of all services with estimated value of purchases less than Rs. 200 crores.
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Shipping reviewed the readiness of Indian shipping for implementation of the Government’s Cargo Transportation Policy.
It is estimated that the Make in India policy will provide an opportunity to at least DOUBLE the number of Indian flag vessels in the immediate term - from the present approximately 450 to at least 900 and more over a period of 3 years - leaving further scope for additional investment in the Indian flag tonnage.
With a modern maritime administration, continuous supply of trained seafarers, ship management skills already available, ship owners worldwide are invited to now flag their ships in India to take advantage of the Make in India policy of the Government in respect of transportation of Government cargoes.
Singapore-based container shipping company Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd is the first to convert one of its container ships registered in Singapore to the Indian flag to run a service linking Mundra port in Gujarat with the container transhipment terminal at Vallarpadam in Cochin port.

Indian Flag vessel

A ship entitled to fly the flag of a country needs to be registered in that country.
The object of registration is to ensure that persons who are entitled to the privilege and protection of the Indian flag get them.
The registration affords evidence of title off the ship to those who deal with the property in question.
It also gives protection to the members of the crew in case of casualties involving injuries and/or loss of life to claim compensation under the provisions of the Indian Acts in Indian courts.
Indian Merchant Shipping Act of 1958, for the first time, dealt with registration of ships

Cabotage

Cabotage is the transport of goods or passengers between two places in the same country by a transport operator from another country.
It originally applied to shipping along coastal routes, port to port, but now applies to aviation, railways, and road transport as well.

Cabotage rule

In shipping, a ship flies the flag of the country where it is registered and is subjected to the tax jurisdiction of that nation. Only Indian registered ships are allowed to carry cargo on local routes, according to a so-called cabotage rule.

Source: PIB

Join Our Telegram

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS

India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) UPSC GS-2 INDO PACIFIC – IR/PSIR

20 Nov, 25
SHARE

India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) UPSC GS-2 INDO PACIFIC – IR/PSIR IPOI is India’s open, voluntary and non-treaty-based maritime initiative for building a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific through practical cooperation. Why in News? India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Ini

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS

19 May, 26
SHARE

AI Impact Summit 2026 UPSC GS-3 S&T PT-MAINS The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 positioned India as a Global South leader by shifting global AI debate from only AI safety and regulation to AI for development, inclusion and real-world impact. Why in News? India hosted the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 at B

Hong Kong Convention for Safe Ship Recycling UPSC GS-3 ENVIRONMENT PT-MAINS

27 Jun, 25
SHARE

Hong Kong Convention for Safe Ship Recycling UPSC GS-3 ENVIRONMENT PT-MAINS The Hong Kong International Convention, 2009 is an IMO treaty that ensures ships are recycled safely without unnecessary risk to human health, worker safety and the environment. Why in News? The Hong Kong Convention entered into force on 26 June 2

LeadIT 2.0: Leadership Group for Industry Transition COP28 UPSC GS-2 IR GS-3 S&T

14 Nov, 23
SHARE

LeadIT 2.0: Leadership Group for Industry Transition UPSC GS-2 IR GS-3 S&T LeadIT 2.0 is the second phase of the India-Sweden-led global initiative to support low-carbon transition in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Why in News? The second phase of LeadIT was announced at the LeadIT Summit 2023, ho

India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement UPSC GS-2 IR/PSIR

03 Sep, 25
SHARE

India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement UPSC GS-2 IR/PSIR The India-EFTA TEPA is a comprehensive trade pact between India and four non-EU European countries — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — aimed at boosting trade, investment, jobs, services, technology and supply-chain resilience. Wh