The center forms a committee to draw up guidelines for coastal shipping

This committee, chaired by the Chair of the Deendayal Port Authority, would also draft the Model Concession Agreement for Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax Terminal Operators and the Model License Agreement for operating the ferry services in the country.

The Department of Shipping has formed a committee to draft revised guidelines for operating roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) and roll-on passenger (ro-pax) ferry services. This committee, chaired by the Chair of the Deendayal Port Authority, would also draft the Model Concession Agreement for Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax Terminal Operators and the Model License Agreement for operating the ferry services in the country.

This step is in line with efforts to boost coastal shipping through the public-private partnership (PPP) route set out in the Union’s 2023-24 budget.

An official statement said the committee is to deal with realities on the ground such as ship safety standards, passenger/cargo excess boarding control mechanisms, online ticketing system, revenue accounting and revenue sharing mechanism, among others.

Legal clearances, exclusivity deadlines, incorporating new and emerging technologies to create a structured document that eliminates unnecessary delays, disagreements that facilitate the smooth and safe operation of the ferry service are also within the purview of the committee.

Source: News Network