The Centre has withdrawn three general orders issued in 2018 that allowed foreign-flagged vessels to operate on India’s coastal routes without a licence from the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) for specific cargo categories, including export-import laden containers meant for transshipment, empty containers for repositioning, agricultural and horticultural products, and fertilisers.

With this move, the government has effectively rolled back the partial relaxation of India’s cabotage regime, under which coastal trade is reserved for Indian-flagged vessels, with foreign ships permitted only in the absence of suitable domestic tonnage. The revocation will . . .