India’s plan to relax cabotage gathers speed

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The definitive account of where India is in terms of the long-running debate over its cabotage laws, which prevent foreign shipping lines from carrying Indian cargo between two India ports and which have been widely blamed as the reason for the failure of the country to develop a genuine hub port. At the same time, Indian shipowners have successfully blocked attempts to repeal the legislation. In an effort to breach the hiatus, an midway solution has been developed by the shipping ministry, which would see foreign container carriers allowed to carry export-import containers and empty containers on India’s eastern coast between Kolkata and Chennai ports for a three–year period.