New India shipping rules half-hearted, send mixed signals: operators

Mumbai

INDIA, gifted with over 7,500 kilometres of coastline, for years has wanted a world class shipping hub that could compete with regional star Singapore. When the time came this month to help make that dream a reality, policy makers may have botched it up, analysts say.

In the works for at least a decade, the shipping ministry's long-awaited rules announced in a March 7 notification impose conditions that will end up hindering the growth of Indian ports, according to France-based Mediterranean Shipping Co and Mumbai's Mantrana Maritime Advisory Pvt.