India tries to introduce shipping controls

Although the Indian government is trying to introduce legislation to control shipping, there have been so many objections by interested parties that the Shipping Trade Practice Bill is still languishing in the shipping ministry.  The Bill requires service providers to register with the government, publish their rates and manner of fixing their tariffs and display them on their premises or website.  The proposal applies to maritime logistics service providers such as container ship owners, non-vessel operating common carriers, Customs agents, freight forwarders, and other members of the supply chain.  Currently exporters and importers can find that they pay arbitrary and exorbitant charges for the services, and the industry agrees that some sort of regulation is necessary.

The freight forwarders lobby is opposed to the Bill, which they consider to be over-intrusive.  They argue that the maritime industry is already over regulated, and that registration fees would put many small operators out of business.