Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025 Passed to Transform India’s Maritime Economy:

In a major legislative step to boost India’s maritime and coastal economy, the Rajya Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, which had earlier cleared the Lok Sabha on April 3, 2025. The bill, introduced by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, aims to revamp the outdated coastal shipping framework by replacing Part XIV of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. With a coastline stretching 11,098 kilometers across nine coastal states and four union territories, the bill aligns with global cabotage standards and aims to catalyse coastal trade, tourism, and logistics.