Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Cabotage
"The right to operate transport services (sea, air, or road) within a particular territory; specifically, the transport..."
The right to operate transport services (sea, air, or road) within a particular territory; specifically, the transport of goods or passengers between two points within the same country.
Critical maritime policy concept. India relaxed cabotage in 2018 to allow foreign ships to operate in coastal trade when domestic capacity was insufficient. Maritime India Vision 2030 aims to reverse this and reserve all coastal cargo movement for Indian-built ships by 2035. Connects to NSHIP, Blue Economy, and India's goal of becoming a top-5 shipbuilding nation. Featured prominently in the January 2026 NSHIP Thoothukudi article.
India's cabotage policy restricts foreign ships from carrying cargo between domestic ports, protecting the Indian shipping industry — though temporary relaxations were granted in 2018 to address capacity shortfalls.