At least 16 Indian seafarers have been taken hostage in a series of pirate attacks around the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia between April and July, the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) confirmed.
The Centre has exempted GIFT City-based International Financial Services Centre entities from obtaining DGMA licences to lease foreign vessels. The move under the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 aims to ease vessel chartering and strengthen India's maritime and international financial services ecosystem
