India lifts its cabotage restrictions

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It’s not often that you read stories about India which show the government has acted on the advice of industry. But finally, after prolonged lobbying, India has relaxed its cabotage regulations, which restrict foreign ships from offering feeder services. The restriction has been lifted for three years, and the hope is that it will help the country attract more direct calls rather than having its cargo transhipped through Colombo and Dubai, rather than harming domestic shipping companies’ market share.