Parliament has passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it cleared the Lok Sabha on August 12. The Bill seeks to consolidate and modernise the legal framework governing ports in India, promote integrated development across the maritime sector, facilitate ease of doing business, and ensure efficient utilisation of the country’s coastline. Introducing the legislation in the Upper House, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, described it as a structural reform intended to align India’s port governance with contemporary operational, environmental and regulatory standards. The Bill replaces the century-old Indian Ports Act, 1908, which has long been viewed as inadequate for a digitalised and globally integrated maritime ecosystem, particularly due to its limited provisions on long-term planning, environmental safeguards, and dispute resolution mechanisms. The legislative exercise, according to the government, followed consultations with coastal states, industry stakeholders and the public, reflecting principles of cooperative federalism and an effort to align with international practices in maritime administration.
Substantively, the Indian Ports Bill, 2025 provides for the establishment and empowerment of State Maritime Boards to manage ports other than major ports, while also envisaging the constitution of a Maritime State Development Council to foster coordinated growth across the sector. It introduces measures aimed at decriminalising certain regulatory contraventions, rationalising or removing obsolete provisions, and enhancing transparency in tariff determination. The Bill further enables the central government to direct the creation of a maritime single window system to support seamless electronic data exchange, a step intended to streamline regulatory compliance and improve logistics efficiency. In terms of safety and compliance, the legislation lays down frameworks for pollution management, disaster and emergency response, port security and navigational safety, and provides for data governance and adherence to India’s obligations under international instruments to which it is a party. It also contemplates adjudicatory mechanisms for port-related disputes, signalling a move toward clearer and more efficient dispute resolution within the sector.
The parliamentary debate reflected both support for modernising a colonial-era statute and concerns expressed through opposition protests and a walkout over unrelated procedural demands. Supporters argued that upgraded legal architecture is essential to strengthen port connectivity and competitiveness, given the centrality of ports to India’s trade, supply chains and economic growth. By consolidating port governance, clarifying institutional roles between the Union and the states, and embedding technology-led compliance and transparency, the Bill aims to advance policy objectives consistent with ease of doing business and sustainable maritime development. Implementation will now hinge on the timely establishment of envisaged institutions, operationalisation of the single window, and alignment of state-level port regulations with the central framework, all of which are likely to be scrutinised closely by both industry and legal observers for compliance, efficiency and federal balance.
