Coast Connect 2026, a national workshop on the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, was hosted by Gujarat Maritime University (GMU) in collaboration with the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), Government of India, and SETU, on 22–23 August 2026 at Gandhinagar.

Track B - Multi-Regulatory Complexity explored the regulatory and institutional dimensions of coastal shipping, covering cabotage, vessel registration, licensing, maritime security, digitalisation, dispute resolution and alignment with international maritime law.

The panel discussion, moderated by Anil Devli, brought together Ravi Kumar Moka, Deputy Director General of Maritime Administration (Coastal), DGMA; Aniket Singh, Deputy Inspector General, Indian Coast Guard; Dr. Abhay Singh, Director (I/c), SMLPA, GMU; and Ms. Rehana Dhawade, Legal Consultant, DGMA.

Key discussions focused on:  Simplified licensing and regulatory predictability; Maritime Domain Awareness and coastal security; National Coastal Shipping Database and MSW integration; Financing and fleet expansion through the Maritime Development Fund; Digital vessel tracking and compliance monitoring; Alignment with international maritime conventions; Dispute resolution and regulatory certainty; Improving the competitiveness of Indian-flag vessels.

The session reinforced that effective implementation of the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 will require regulatory clarity, digital integration, maritime security, access to finance, coordinated governance and strong industry participation.