India conducted 607 initial Port State Control (PSC) inspections of foreign-flagged vessels in 2025, an increase of 18.3% year-on-year, resulting in 64 detentions and the identification of 2,595 deficiencies, according to the Port State Control and Flag State Inspection Annual Report 2025 published by the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA).
The overall detention rate stood at approximately 10.5%, while only 25.7% of inspected vessels were found to be free of deficiencies. The average deficiency index rose to 4.28 per inspection, compared with 3.48 in 2023, as annual detentions increased from 39 in both 2023 and 2024.
Vessels over 20 years old recorded an average deficiency index of 6.07, with only 15.38% reporting no deficiencies. In contrast, ships aged up to 10 years recorded an average of 1.88 deficiencies, with nearly 48% having a clean inspection record. Ships aged 10–20 years accounted for 35 detentions from 340 inspections, while older vessels recorded 25 detentions from 169 inspections.
Bulk carriers accounted for the largest share of inspections, with 268 checks and 14 detentions. Container ships recorded 12 detentions from 71 inspections, while oil tankers had 11 detentions from 36 inspections.
Indian-flagged vessels underwent 200 PSC inspections across 10 regional inspection regimes during 2025, resulting in 451 deficiencies and six detentions. The detention rate was 3%, while 46.5% of inspected vessels had no deficiencies. All six detentions under the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding highlighted the need to improve vessel readiness, dry-dock compliance and crew awareness of international inspection requirements.
The report also highlighted significantly higher detention rates among vessels overseen by classification organisations outside the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). IACS-member organisations recorded 50 detentions from 566 inspections, compared with 14 detentions from 41 inspections involving non-IACS organisations.
India’s risk-based inspection framework considers vessel age, type, flag-state performance, detention history and classification oversight. The Merchant Shipping (Port State Control and Flag State Implementation) Rules, 2026, notified on July 26, 2026, further establish the regulatory framework for inspections and oversight of recognised organisations.
The findings underscore the importance of stricter compliance with international maritime safety, environmental protection and seafarer welfare standards, particularly for ageing vessels and ships operating in high-traffic shipping corridors.