Govt to issue lifetime licence to domestic ships

The government has said that lifetime licences will be issued to domestic ships or any vessel charted by an Indian or a local company instead of such licences being renewed every year.
"The Ministry of Shipping has decided that lifetime licences will be issued to Indian ships and any other ship charted by an Indian citizen or an Indian company instead of such licences being renewed every year...," according to an official statement.
The government provides for all the five Registrars of Ships at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa and Cochin to issue such licences under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.

Such licences will be issued with a lifetime fee now instead of annual fee, but the licence will be co-terminus with the certificate of Registry of the Ship, the statement said.
A ship is issued registration by the Principal Officers, who are designated Registrars of Ships by the DG (Shipping), of the Mercantile Marine Departments (MMD).
They would now get powers to issue lifetime licences also, the statement added.
The decision will be of immense help to Indian vessels engaged in coastal trading as the process is decentralised and liberalised. Ship operators need not undertake the exercise of taking the licence every year, it further added.