The Rajya Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025 on August 7, 2025. By replacing Part XIV of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, the bill seeks to simplify and modernise the legal framework governing coastal shipping.
It consists of six chapters and 42 clauses. It introduces a simplified licensing system for coastal shipping and lays down the framework for regulating foreign vessels engaged in coasting trade. Further, it mandates the formulation of a national coastal and inland shipping strategic plan to guide future infrastructure development and policy direction.