The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPS&W) on August 07, 2026, issued the Merchant Shipping (Control and Management of Vessels’ Ballast Water and Sediments) Rules, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• They shall come into force on the date of accession of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, by India.
• The Rules establish a comprehensive framework for controlling and managing ballast water and sediments carried by ships to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens into marine ecosystems.
• The Rules apply to specified vessels carrying ballast water and are intended to give effect to India’s obligations under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004.
• They require vessels to manage ballast water before discharge, maintain an approved Ballast Water Management Plan, keep a Ballast Water Record Book, and comply with prescribed standards for ballast-water exchange and treatment. Indian vessels of 400 GT and above are subject to prescribed surveys, including initial, renewal, intermediate, annual and additional surveys, and eligible vessels shall obtain the appropriate International or Indian Ballast Water Management Certificate.
• The Rules prescribe the D-1 standard, requiring at least 95% volumetric exchange of ballast water, generally at least 200 nautical miles from the nearest land and in water at least 200 metres deep, with limited alternatives where this is not practicable. They also prescribe the stricter D-2 performance standard, under which discharged ballast water shall contain less than 10 viable organisms per cubic metre for organisms of 50 micrometres or larger and less than 10 viable organisms per millilitre for organisms between 10 and 50 micrometres, along with specified limits for Vibrio cholerae, E. coli and intestinal enterococci.
• The Rules further require vessels and ports to ensure proper sediment collection, reception and environmentally safe disposal, while allowing the Director-General to impose additional requirements or issue warnings in areas affected by harmful aquatic organisms, toxic algal blooms, sewage outfalls or other environmental risks. Vessels may be inspected by port authorities, and discharge may be restricted where certificates, records, equipment or procedures are deficient.
• Non-compliance attracts penalties under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025; where no specific penalty is prescribed, a violation may attract a penalty of up to ₹50,000 and an additional ₹5,000 per day for continuing violations, without relieving the vessel from the obligation to rectify the non-compliance. Overall, the Rules introduce a certificate-, survey-, monitoring- and record-based compliance regime aimed at ensuring that ballast water and sediments discharged by vessels do not adversely affect India’s marine environment or introduce invasive aquatic species.
[Notification no. - G.S.R.714(E)]
