DRAFT MERCHANT SHIPPING BILL 2020

Subject: Polity

Context: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has issued a draft of the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020 for public consultation. It aims to repeal and replace the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels Act, 1838.

Concept:

• To improve welfare of Indian seafarers on abandoned vessels and safety of such vessels, the Bill has provisions for repatriation of abandoned seafarers have been enhanced, in line with the Maritime Labour Convention regulations.
• To promote ease of doing business, the Bill does away with requirement of general trading licence for Indian vessels.
• It also enables electronic means of registration, and grants statutory recognition to electronic agreements, records, and log-books, in addition to electronic licenses, certificates and payments, stated the release.
• The Bill has clauses to increase India’s tonnage and to make the vessel a tradeable asset.
• To promote India as a bankable shipping jurisdiction and avoid situations leading to wreck, the proposed Bill seeks to introduce for the first-time statutory framework for regulating maritime emergency response against maritime incidents
• To make India an active enforcement jurisdiction, the Bill incorporates powers of the Director-General to take action against vessels that are unsafe, and pose a threat to safety of life at sea and environment.
• The Bill also encourages active enforcement of pollution prevention standards.