AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING AND SMART PORTS IN INDIA: LEGAL CHALLENGES, REGULATORY READINESS, AND GLOBAL BENCHMARKS

Ananta Kar*, Kavita Shinde, Gurupreet Singh Sandhu, Ashok Raja, Vajaradeep Koshika

The rapid rise of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships and smart-port technologies is reshaping global maritime operations, requiring matching legal and regulatory changes. While many leading maritime nations update their frameworks, India’s readiness for autonomous shipping and smart ports remains underexplored. This study assesses India’s legal and regulatory capacity for autonomous vessels and smart ports, comparing it to international benchmarks. Using a qualitative doctrinal and comparative approach, it examines key Indian laws—the Merchant Shipping Act, the Inland Vessels Act, and port rules—alongside global treaties like UNCLOS, SOLAS, COLREGs, and STCW. Secondary empirical data from the Logistics Performance Index, liner shipping connectivity, and port connectivity metrics compare India’s performance to top global leaders.

The study identifies major regulatory gaps in India, stemming from human-centric legal assumptions, inadequate liability rules for algorithm-driven operations, and the absence of maritime-specific cybersecurity and data governance frameworks. Empirical comparisons show that India lags behind leading hubs—Singapore, Japan, and China—in logistics efficiency, liner shipping connectivity, and port integration metrics, hindering smart-port development and higher vessel autonomy. In comparison, the EU and Singapore have adopted integrated regulatory frameworks combining autonomous shipping rules, cybersecurity requirements, and data governance.

In conclusion, India requires comprehensive legal reforms, including MASS-specific regulations, updated liability frameworks, mandatory cybersecurity protocols for ports, and structured data governance rules. Aligning these reforms with international standards will enhance regulatory certainty, operational reliability, and competitiveness in the evolving digital maritime sector.

Keywords: Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS); Smart Ports; Maritime Law; Regulatory Readiness; Cybersecurity and Data Governance; India

*Scholar, IIT Madras; ms25a208@smail.iitm.ac.in
Download PDF