In a first, Indian banks are being pushed to accept ships as collateral for shipbuilding loans – a bold move to turbocharge India’s maritime sector, senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) said. With a policy push being in the works, plans are afoot to finalise the contours of the Maritime Development Fund and Shipbuilding Building Financial Assistance Policy 2.0. The Ministry also wants to ensure Indian banks start accepting ships as collateral in order to push manufacturing activities here and get the ecosystem in-place as policy intervention happens. In case of shipping finance here in India, very few banks and financial institutions have the necessary expertise or infrastructure to appraise such projects, sources said. Most other commercial banks have shown considerable skepticism in taking up exposure in shipping, citing associated risks too.
