The Indian Maritime Centre (IMC) organised a Workshop on Delegated Legislation under the Indian Ports Act, 2025 on January 9 in Mumbai, bringing together a wide spectrum of maritime stakeholders to deliberate on the draft rules proposed under the new legislation.
Members of IMC and representatives from major ports, the Indian Ports Association, State Maritime Boards, shipping lines, Indian Maritime University, seafarers’ unions, shipping agencies, ship management companies, freight forwarders and other interested stakeholders participated in the workshop.
The workshop was presided over by Mr. Devki Nandan, Chairman, IMC. The key speakers on the occasion included Capt. Anand Karkare, former Deputy Conservator, Mumbai Port; Capt. Vijay Hatekar, General Manager, Atlantic Global Shipping Pvt. Ltd.; and Capt. Suresh Amirapu, Adviser, PSA. The speakers provided insights into the scope of the Act, the proposed subordinate legislation, and the practical implications for the maritime sector.
The Indian Ports Act, 2025 establishes a comprehensive regulatory and institutional framework covering critical areas such as port conservation, port security and pollution control, while ensuring alignment with India’s international obligations and statutory compliance requirements. The Act was passed by Parliament in August 2025 and notified in the Gazette of India on August 21, 2025.
For the effective implementation of the Act, the framing of detailed rules and subordinate legislation is essential. The rule-making powers are vested with the Central Government under Section 76, the State Governments under Section 77, and the Central Government in consultation with State Governments under Section 78 of the Act. Accordingly, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Chairman, Paradip Port Authority, which has prepared 37 sets of draft rules under the relevant sections.
With the objective of incorporating stakeholder feedback before finalisation, the Government has already conducted three consultative meetings. As the apex body representing maritime interests in India, IMC took the initiative to organise this workshop to further engage stakeholders and gather their views on the draft rules.
The workshop helped sensitise participants to the provisions of the proposed rules and highlighted areas where modifications and clarifications may be required. IMC will collate the suggestions received during the workshop and submit them to the Government for consideration.
IMC also announced that it proposes to conduct a series of similar workshops with stakeholders on other key subjects of relevance to the maritime sector in the coming months.
