India’s Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047: Boosting Coastal Shipping and Protecting Indian Shipping

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 focused on boosting coastal shipping. The plan calls for the repeal of three orders that allowed foreign-flagged ships to transport goods on local routes without requiring a license from the Director General of Shipping. The document highlights increasing container transshipments via Colombo and reports of no freight reduction for exporters due to levied surcharges by foreign lines. Additionally, it resulted in the government losing out on Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue and led to cargo losses at Jawaharlal Nehru Port. It also suggested strict implementation of Atmanirbhar Bharat provisions in shipping.

The vision document further outlines a pledges for strict compliance with free on board (FOB) imports and cost, insurance and freight (CIF) exports, as well as “equity” in training commitments to boost the growth of Indian shipping. This includes enforcing the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) licensing conditions for chartering vessels under public tenders and advocating the allocation of training places for Indian cadets.

Moreover, the vision document also stressed the need for the restrictions on the movement of foreign-flagged vessels for government/PSU services, port vessels, and coastal and offshore vessels to protect Indian shipping. It proposed an Atmanirbhar Bharat public-private partnership (PPP) program for leasing/chartering of PSUs and regulation on the use of foreign-flagged ships for government/PSU requirements.

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