The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPS&W) on December 19, 2025, issued the Draft Coastal Shipping (Strategy and National Database) Rules, 2026.
The following has been stated namely: -
• The rules provide for the formulation of a National Coastal Shipping Strategy to promote coastal shipping as an economical, efficient, and environmentally sustainable mode of transport, aligned with national logistics and maritime policies.
• They mandate the creation and maintenance of a National Coastal Shipping Database to capture data on cargo movement, vessels, ports, terminals, and infrastructure, enabling evidence-based policy making and planning.
• The Rules assign responsibilities to the Central Government, port authorities, and relevant agencies for timely data submission, validation, and periodic updating of the database.
• They emphasize inter-agency coordination, digital integration, and transparency, ensuring secure access to stakeholders while protecting sensitive information.
• Overall, the framework aims to strengthen coastal shipping capacity, reduce logistics costs, decongest roads and railways, and support sustainable maritime growth.
• Objections or suggestions, if any, to these draft rules may be sent to the Under Secretary (ML), Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Transport Bhawan, 1-Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001, or by email at [email protected], by January 22, 2026.
[Notification no. - G.S.R. 910(E)]
