DATE OF ENACTMENT: 30 October 1958 AIM:
To suit the requirements of a maritime country like India at that time.
To make good the main deficiency in the earlier laws that they did not provide for the registration of what may be termed as Indian Ships.
To accelerate the pace of development of shipping in the post-independence period. PROVISIONS: This Act is divided into 24 parts, each part dealing with specific aspects of merchant shipping. LATEST AMENDMENT: Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2015, introduced in Lok Sabha on August 10, 2015, to ensure compliance with the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001. The Convention ensures that adequate, prompt, and effective compensation is available to persons who suffer damage caused by oil spills, when carried as fuel in ships' bunkers. Credits- Neha Pathak