India bans tankers, bulk carriers and other ships older than 25 years
India’s Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has issued a circular that bans 25-year-old tankers, bulk carriers and general cargo vessels from operating in Indian ports.
PHOTO: A cargo ship at Nhava Sheva, one of the largest container ports in India. Getty Images
According to the circular, the ban is applicable to all Indian and foreign-flagged vessels that require trading licenses to operate under Indian Cabotage law. The decision has been made to modernise the ageing Indian fleet and to meet upcoming shipping emission norms, DGS stated.
Ships in the existing fleet that are aged over 25 years will have a grace period of three years.
The age of a vessel will be calculated from the date of delivery mentioned in the Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate or any other statutory certificate issued under the IMO Convention.
DGS has set a higher 30-year maximum age limit for some ship segments such as gas and chemical carriers, container ships and harbour tugs, and 40 years for dredgers.
The age limit guideline is not applicable to passenger vessels, floating storage regasification units (FSRU) and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units.
By Nithin Chandran
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