Notification/Circular No.: G.S.R. (E) dated October 23, 2026
Applicable Act/Rule: Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (24 of 2025); Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 2026; Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 1974 (superseded); Nairobi Convention on the Removal of Wrecks
Applicable Section/Rule: Section 260(1) and section 260(2)(b), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025; Rule 1 and Rule 28 of the Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 2026; Forms A and B under the Rules
Effective Period: From October 23, 2026
The Central Government, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has notified the Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 2026 under section 260 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (24 of 2025), superseding the Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 1974, except as to things done or omitted to be done before such supersession. The Rules come into force on the date of publication in the Gazette.
Under the Act and these Rules, the master, registered owner or operator must report a wreck and provide specified particulars: the registered owner’s name and principal place of business; the exact location or geographic coordinates of the wreck; the type, size and construction of the wreck; the nature of the casualty and the wreck’s condition; the nature and quantity of cargo; the quantity and type of hazardous and noxious substances, including bunkers and lubricating oil; whether the wreck is hazardous, dangerous to navigation, obstructive, or likely to cause serious harm to the marine environment or shoreline; and the mitigation plan or method. Definitions are provided, including “Committee” as specified in Rule 28 for appointment of salvors, “marine pollution response operator”, “salvage contract”, “assessment work”, “assessor” and “Schedule”.
On receipt of a report, the Director General will issue a navigational warning indicating the condition of the wreck and other relevant information using all practical means and agencies, including the National Hydrographic Office, the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships and port authorities. The warning will be broadcast through the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service, Automatic Identification System, NAVTEX and mobile-satellite communication services recognised by the International Maritime Organization. The Director General may direct the shipowner or operator to take all necessary measures to mark the wreck in accordance with applicable law on aids to navigation and recommendations and guidelines published by an international maritime aids to navigation organisation, and may direct the Wreck Receiver, port authorities, a maritime board or the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships to locate and/or mark the wreck within their jurisdiction.
Where a vessel suffers a marine casualty and the vessel, any part of it or any cargo from it becomes a wreck in the territorial waters, the registered owner or operator is primarily responsible for removal of the wreck in accordance with the Act. To facilitate removal, the Wreck Receiver will coordinate, direct and supervise measures for locating, marking, securing, removing or disposing of the wreck; and if delay, non-compliance or difficulties are reported, the Authority may issue further directions. If the registered owner delays supplying a declaration of full particulars of the casualty even where it poses a threat to navigation, safety or the marine environment, the Authority or the Wreck Receiver, after assessment and consulting the Advisory Committee, may, without prejudice to the owner’s liability, issue a public notice on the owner’s behalf, issue a declaration of full particulars, or declare the vessel to be a wreck or otherwise facilitate removal. The concerned port authority or maritime board must provide facilities and logistics support within its jurisdiction as required by the Authority or the Wreck Receiver, without affecting the primary responsibility of the owner or operator. The registered owner must, within the time and manner specified by the Authority or the Wreck Receiver, appoint a salvor specified under the Act and the marine pollution response operators referred to in the Rules to remove the wreck on the owner’s behalf.
A registered owner of an Indian ship who maintains insurance or other financial security under the Act must apply in Form A to the Registrar of Ships where the ship is registered, for issue or renewal of a certificate of insurance or other financial security covering liability under the Nairobi Convention in respect of removal of wreck. The registered owner or operator of a ship registered in a foreign State that is not a Party to the Convention, who maintains insurance or other financial security under the Act, may also apply in Form A to the Registrar for issue or renewal. Each application must include documentary evidence of maintenance of such insurance or financial security and a receipt evidencing payment of the fees prescribed in the Rules. On being satisfied, the Registrar will issue a certificate in Form B covering liability under the Nairobi Convention for removal of wreck, and will ensure, inter alia, that where the total amount of financial security is provided by more than one source, the amount provided by each source is separately indicated.
Link: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2026/277376.pdf
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