Indian-controlled vessels to pay just 1-time processing fee

To promote ease of doing business in the maritime sector, Indian-controlled vessels will now be required to pay just one-time processing fee of Rs 20,000 for the issuance of licence, the government said on Monday. 

"Vessels of Indian Controlled Tonnage, will now be required to pay only one-time processing fee of Rs 20,000 towards issue of licence," the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. Till now they were being charged Rs 20,000 on a monthly basis by the Directorate General of Shipping as processing fee for issue of licence under section 406 of Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 . 

"This initiative will boost the Indian Controlled Tonnage Scheme and be a step towards promoting 'Ease of doing Business' in the maritime sector," the statement said. It added that to bring in transparency in ocean-freight charged by different service providers, Container Shipping Line Association (India), an association of foreign container shipping lines operating in India, have informed that all their 31 member-lines have implemented e-Payment mode by way of RTGS/NEFT for collection of all type of ocean freight charges. The Indian-controlled tonnage scheme frees local fleet owners from having to mandatorily register their ships in India required by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958. As a result, ship owners can register their ships either in India or abroad. Ships registered overseas also come under the category of Indian-controlled tonnage.