The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a major reform: sign-on, sign-off, and shore leave pass requirements for Indian-flag vessels operating within Indian waters have been scrapped. This change removes years of bureaucratic red tape for crew members, potentially improving their quality of life and job satisfaction.

Seafarers previously underwent cumbersome immigration-style paperwork every 10 days to leave their ship and travel onshore. With the rule removal, they can now disembark and re-embark more freely, making sea-based work less restrictive.

Economists and maritime experts suggest that this reform could make India’s coastal shipping and coastal fleet operations more attractive to workers reducing crew costs and increasing retention. This step might also support the government’s broader “blue economy” ambitions by improving the operational efficiency of Indian maritime companies.