The Ministry of Shipping, in accordance with the Government’s commitment to do away with obsolete laws which hinder efficient governance, has notified the final rescinding of the following six rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958:

i) Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention Certificates) Rules, 1975,

ii) Merchant Shipping (Radio Direction Finders) Rules 1968,

iii) Merchant Shipping (Distress Messages and Navigational Warnings) Rules, 1964

iv) Merchant Shipping (Muster) Rules, 1968

v) Merchant Shipping (Pilot Ladder) Rules, 1967

vi) Life-boatmen’s (Qualifications and Certificates) Rules 1963

The present notification is in furtherance of the Ministry’s earlier notification published in Gazette on 17.11.2015 inviting comments and objections from public. Already, seven rules stood rescinded through notification dated 17.11.2015. Thus, as of today, the Ministry has rescinded a total of thirteen rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.

Out of a large number of rules and regulations, many had become redundant in course of time and were leading to avoidable delay, making it necessary to weed them out to achieve process simplification and improve governance. The context, purpose and objectives of all the Rules/Regulations, administered by this Ministry, were studied and thirteen obsolete and unnecessary Rules under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 were identified for rescinding in keeping with the government’s ethos of Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.

This step will simplify the legislative framework governing merchant shipping sector in India and streamline the processes and procedures in the shipping sector. Besides, the rescinding of these Rules will further promote ‘ease-of-doing-business’ in India and has been widely welcomed by the merchant shipping community and businesses.