Enactment of multiple Maritime and Ports laws (2021–2025) for holistic development of India’s maritime sector
India has enacted a cluster of maritime laws between 2021 and 2025 to modernise coastal shipping, ports, vessels, navigation, and shipping documentation.
- India’s maritime governance has used separate statutes for shipping, ports, navigation aids, inland vessels, and cargo documentation.
- The Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 was enacted to consolidate and modernize the legal framework governing coastal shipping.
- The ministry listed eight maritime laws enacted between 2021 and 2025 as part of a broader maritime-sector development package.
What happened
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has highlighted a set of maritime laws enacted between 2021 and 2025 for the holistic development of India’s maritime sector. The list includes the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, the Indian Ports Act, 2025, the Bills of Lading Act, 2025, the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 2025, the Marine Aids to Navigation Act, 2021, the Inland Vessels Act, 2021, and the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021.
The most specific change flagged in the release is the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, which was enacted to consolidate and modernize the legal framework governing coastal shipping.
UPSC can frame this topic around the need for modern legal architecture for ports and shipping, the role of coastal shipping in logistics efficiency, and the balance between consolidation of old laws and implementation on the ground.
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