India's coastal waters rules put older tankers on an April 2027 clock

India's Merchant Shipping (Regulation of Entry of Ships into Coastal Waters) Rules, 2026 came into force on 16 September 2026. They replace the 2012 rules that covered entry into Indian ports, anchorages and offshore facilities¹.

The scope is wider than the rules they replace. The 2026 rules apply to Indian ships and to foreign ships that operate in or sail through Indian coastal waters, whether or not they enter an Indian port, anchorage or offshore facility¹. A foreign ship with no Indian port call can therefore still fall inside them¹.

Owners have a transition. Circular No. 69 of 2026 is dated 14 October 2026 and comes from the Directorate General of Maritime Administration. It gives ships already operating in, or otherwise permitted entry into, Indian coastal waters six months, up to April 2027, to meet the new class and salvage requirements¹.

Why a ship bound elsewhere is caught

The rules use the definition of coastal waters in section 3(12) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025¹. Gard, a marine insurer, quotes that definition as "any part of territorial waters of India, along with any part of the adjoining maritime zones of India"¹. The phrase points back to India's 1976 law on maritime zones¹.

The area at stake is large. India's 200 nautical mile zone covers 2,305,143 square kilometres and takes in the Lakshadweep group and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands³. A vessel can be well offshore and bound for another country, and still be inside waters the definition covers^1, 3.

Gard reads the rules as applying the insurance, class and salvage conditions to ships that only transit Indian coastal waters. The 48-hour documentation requirement, in its reading, is for ships calling at a port¹.

Insurance, class and salvage

Foreign ships in scope must hold the insurance or other financial security required under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 and its rules. For a ship calling at an Indian port, the port authority may check that the cover is valid¹.

Foreign ships above the applicable age threshold must hold a class certificate from a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) or from a recognised organisation¹. The industry guidance the note cites puts oil product and chemical tankers at over 10 years². LNG and LPG tankers are at over 15 years, and general cargo ships, bulk carriers, offshore support ships and passenger ships are generally over 10 years². Those figures come from guidance, not from a rules text read for this article².

Foreign ships must also hold valid salvage and marine pollution response contracts with an entity approved under Indian law¹. That covers ships entering, remaining in or sailing from an Indian port, seeking port facilities, or transiting or operating in Indian coastal waters¹. Ships calling at a port must file the prescribed entry documents at least 48 hours before entry¹.

The provider gap

Circular 69 says the process of approving salvors and marine pollution response operators is still under way¹. It adds that the contract requirement cannot be fully implemented until approved providers have been notified¹. Gard said further clarification is expected on how the contracts will work¹.

No list of approved providers appeared in the material reviewed. The deadline is fixed, but the providers it depends on are not yet named¹.

What is not settled

The gazette text of the 2026 Rules and Circular 69 could not be read directly while this article was prepared, because the Directorate General of Shipping website did not load. The details above rest on Gard's reading of both documents¹, as republished by Hellenic Shipping News².

That leaves questions open. The material reviewed does not say whether the age thresholds sit in the Rules or only in guidance². Nor does it set out the penalty for a missed deadline, or whether a port can refuse entry or detain a non-compliant ship¹. The only checking power it describes is the port authority's right to verify insurance cover for port callers¹. The rules apply to Indian ships as well as foreign ones, but the added class and salvage conditions it sets out are framed for foreign ships¹.

No advisory from JNPA, Mumbai, Kandla, Vizag, Chennai or Paradip appeared in the material reviewed. Nor did comment from INSA, FOSMA or a classification society.

What it means for cargo

The shortest clock is on oil product and chemical tankers, at over 10 years². LNG and LPG tankers get 15 years². Bulk carriers, general cargo ships and offshore support ships generally sit at 10 years².

Container ships are not named in the guidance quoted². Whether liner tonnage and coastal feeder boxes fall under "other specified ship types", or outside the class requirement, is a point to confirm against the notified Rules².

Cost is the other unknown. No price for a salvage or marine pollution response contract appeared in the material reviewed. With providers still being empanelled, there is no approved rate to compare¹.

What to do before April 2027

• Get the build year of every vessel nominated on India trades, and check it against the thresholds once the notified text is available².
• Ask the owner for the issuer of the class certificate, and confirm it is an IACS member or a recognised organisation¹.
• Ask who holds the salvage and marine pollution response contract, and who pays for it¹.
• For 2027 fixtures, write in an age and compliance warranty, and state who carries the cost of a delayed or refused call¹.
• Track the DGMA list of approved providers, and the 48-hour filing timetable, with your port agent¹.

Watch for the DGMA notification of approved salvors and response operators, and for the clarification on contracting that Gard expects¹. Until those arrive, the April 2027 date is fixed and the paperwork behind it is not.