India Flag Vessels
1,911 vessels registered under the India flag
India Maritime Fleet Overview
India has 1,911 registered vessels tracked on MarineRadar. The fleet primarily consists of Fishing (267), Cargo (190), Other (158), Unknown (104) and Tug (94). Track all India-flagged ships with live AIS positions and real-time maritime data.
About the India Flag
Registry Authority
The Indian flag is administered by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. India has one of Asia's larger national-flag fleets, with over 1,500 vessels including a significant share of small coastal and offshore-support tonnage.
Why Ships Register in India
Indian-flag ships have a Right of First Refusal on Indian government and public-sector cargoes — crude oil, LNG, fertilizer, food-aid imports — under the Cabotage Law, and the Indian flag is required for most domestic coastal trade. Tonnage tax has been available since 2004 and broadly aligns Indian shipping income with international peer regimes.
Notable Operators
The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Great Eastern Shipping (GE Shipping), Mercator, Essar Shipping, Tolani Shipping, and many offshore-support operators serving the ONGC fields in the Bombay High and Krishna-Godavari basin flag tonnage in India.
Trade Routes
Indian-flagged ships dominate domestic coastal trade between major ports — Mumbai, JNPT, Chennai, Vizag, Kolkata, Kochi, Mundra, and Mormugao — and serve strategic crude, LNG, and dry-bulk imports from the Persian Gulf, Australia, Indonesia, and West Africa. Offshore-support ships work the country's domestic upstream oil and gas fields.
Track every India-flagged vessel from your phone
Filter 1,911 India ships by type, watch their journeys, and get alerts on the move.