Full Text
REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-05122025-268228
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 796]
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2025/AGRAHAYANA 12, 1947
MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 3rd December, 2025.
G.S.R.882(E) .— Whereas the draft of the Inland Vessels (Design and Construction) (First Amendment) Rules, 2025 was published, as required under sub-section (1) of section 106 of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 (24 of 2021) vide notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways number G.S.R. 147 (E), dated the 25th February, 2025 in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, section 3, sub-section (i), dated the 25th February, 2025, inviting objections and suggestions from all the persons likely to be affected thereby before the expiry of the period of thirty days from the date on which copies of Official Gazette containing the said notification were made available to the public;
And whereas, the copies of the said notification were made available to the public on 25th February, 2025;
And whereas objections and suggestions received from the public in respect of the said draft rules have been considered by the Central Government.
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 7 and sub-section (1) of section 8 read with clauses (e) and (f) of sub-section (2) of section 106 of the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 (24 of 2021), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules to amend the Inland Vessels (Design and Construction) Rules, 2024, namely. -
1. (1) These rules may be called the Inland Vessels (Design and Construction) (First Amendment) Rules, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In the Inland Vessels (Design and Construction) Rules, 2024 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 3, in sub-rule (1), –
(i) after clause (a), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: -
(aa) "approved material” means the material approved by a classification society (who is a member of International Association of Classification Societies), or complying with the standards specified by International Standards Organisation or the Bureau of India Standards;';
(ii) in clause (c), for the words, brackets and figures "clause (20) of section 3", the words, brackets letters and figure "clause (zo) of section 3" shall be substituted;
(iii) for clause (h), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: -
'(h) "gross tonnage" means for a vessel of 24 meters length and above vessel, gross tonnage, calculated as per the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969, and for a vessel with less than 24 meters length, gross tonnage, calculated as per the Merchant Shipping (Tonnage Measurement of Ships) Rules, 1987;';
(iv) clause (m) shall be renumbered as clause (ma) and before clause (ma) as so renumbered, the following clause shall be inserted, namely: -
'(m) "machinery spaces" means spaces between watertight boundaries of a space containing the main and auxiliary propulsion machinery including boilers, oil fuel units, steam and internal combustion engines, generators and major electrical machinery, ventilation and air conditioning machinery, and similar spaces including trunks to such spaces;';
(v) after clause (r), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: -
'(ra) "requirements of classification society" means the technical standards for design and construction of different kinds of vessels specified by any classification society (who is a member of International Association of Classification Societies);'.
3. In the said rules, in rule 4, –
(a) in sub-rule (1), the words and figure "and are operating in Zone 1" shall be omitted;
(b) in sub-rule (2),- (i) after the words and letter "Category 'A' vessels", the words and figure "operating in Zone 1" shall be inserted; and (ii) after the word "Schedule", the words "or requirements of classification society" shall be inserted;
(c) after sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely: -
"(2A) Category 'A' vessels operating in Zone 2 and Zone 3 shall be designed, constructed in accordance with the standards and design specified in the Schedule or requirements of classification society and maintained under the survey of the designated authority:
Provided that the survey by the classification society shall be in addition to the survey conducted by the surveyor appointed under section 10 of the said Act:
Provided further that tankers and Ro-Pax vessels shall be maintained under the survey of classification society:
Provided also that the passenger vessels plying in durations of two hours or less than two hours shall be exempted from maintenance of survey under classification society.";
(d) for sub-rule (3), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: -
"(3) Category 'B' vessels operating in, –
(a) Zone 1, shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the standards specified in the Schedule or as per the requirements of the classification society, and shall be maintained under the survey of classification society;
(b) Zone 2 and Zone 3, shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the standards and design specified in the Schedule or as per the requirements of classification society, and shall be maintained under the survey of the designated authority.";
(e) for sub-rule (5), the following sub-rules shall be substituted, namely: -
"(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (b) of sub-rule (3), and sub-rule (4), the owner may decide whether the vessel shall be designed, constructed, and maintained under the survey of the designated authority or under the classification society:
Provided that where the owner decides that the vessel shall be designed, constructed, and maintained under the survey of the designated authority, the designated authority may seek assistance from classification society.
(6) The survey conducted by the classification society shall be in addition to the survey carried out by the surveyor appointed under section 10 of the said Act.".
4. In the said rules, in rule 5, in sub-rule (4), after the words "specified in the Schedule", the words "or the requirements of classification society" shall be inserted.
5. In the said rules, in rule 6, in sub-rule (1), after the words "specified in the Schedule", the words "or the requirements of classification society" shall be inserted.
6. In the said rules, in rule 9, in sub-rule (2), after the words "classification society", the words "or as per the standards specified by Bureau of Indian Standards, or as per the International standards or norms issued there under" shall be inserted.
7. In the said rules, in rule 18, in sub-rule (3), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: -
"Provided that for vessels below 100 gross tonnage and operating in Zone 3, the sill height shall not be less than 50 millimetres.".
8. In the said rules, in rule 52, for sub-rule (1), the following sub-rule shall be substituted, namely: -
“(1) Measures shall be taken to reduce machinery noise in machinery spaces to 90 decibels or lesser and if this noise cannot be sufficiently reduced, the source of the excessive noise shall be suitably insulated or isolated, or a refuge from noise in form of acoustic protection devices shall be provided, if the spaces are required to be manned.".
9. In the said rule, in rule 68, in sub-rule (1), in clause (e), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: -
"Provided that for vessels less than 300 gross tonnage, indicators may be permitted by the designated authority in lieu of remote controls".
10. In the said rules, in rule 97, in sub-rule (4), after the words “the standards specified in the Schedule", the words "and any other requirements as may be specified by the designated authority for lashing of vehicles" shall be inserted.
11. In the said rules, in rules 8, 16, 33, 38, 40, 42, 47, 59, 70, 72, 78, 79, 80, 81, 97 and 106, after the words "specified in the Schedule”, wherever they occur, the words "or the requirements of classification society" shall be inserted.
[F. No. IWT-11011/91/2021-IWT(1)]
Dr. KAMALA KANTA NATH, Adviser (Statistics)
Note: The Inland Vessels (Design and Construction) Rules, 2024 were published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide number G.S.R. 295 (E), dated the 28th May, 2024.
Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064
and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.
GORAKHA NATH YADAVA Digitally signed by GORAKHA NATH
Date: 2025.12.05 09:05:07 +05'30'