Rajya Sabha passes Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025

Mint

3 days ago

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, replacing a century-old colonial-era law with updated legislation designed to promote ease of doing business and make India's shipping sector future-ready.
The bill repeals the century-old Indian Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 1925.
The new legislation is part of the government's effort to modernize India's legal framework by eliminating outdated colonial-era laws and aligning with global best practices to improve the ease of doing business.
The bill adopts the Hague-Visby Rules, a globally accepted maritime standard also followed by countries like the UK. By replacing complexity with clarity, the legislation is expected to simplify maritime trade laws, reduce litigation risks, and enhance transparency and commercial efficiency in cargo movement by sea.
'Parliament passed two important legislations—the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025—effectively endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to modernize India's maritime sector, both policy-wise and action-wise. Today, with the passage of the bills, the Modi government's push for India's modern shipping gets double endorsement from the Parliament,' said Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways.
The Lok Sabha earlier passed the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024—a progressive, future-ready legislation that replaces the outdated Merchant Shipping Act of 1958. The bill marks a significant step towards aligning India's maritime legal framework with global standards and strengthening the country's position as a trusted maritime trade hub.
The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, was introduced in the upper house by Shantanu Thakur, the Union minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways.
'The repeal of this pre-Constitution era legislation and its replacement with a new legislation is a part of the greater initiative of this government to rid ourselves of all vestiges of colonial mindset and to ensure ease of understanding and ease of doing business through simple and rationalized laws," said Thakur.
"This bill is not merely a statutory reform—it reflects a broader philosophy of governance led by our prime minister to replace complexity with clarity, outdated norms with modern standards, and colonial remnants with forward-looking laws that serve the interests of a resurgent India,' he added.
The bill is a key step in making India's maritime trade laws future-ready and compatible with international trade agreements, including the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the UK.
The legislation was passed by the Lok Sabha on 28 March. During the Rajya Sabha discussion, members raised issues including maritime security and smuggling risks, which the government assured were being addressed through statutory and operational safeguards. The bill received broad bipartisan support in both Houses of Parliament.