Admiralty & Maritime Law
Admiralty & Maritime Law · Ahmedabad and across India
Arresting and releasing ships across India’s coastal High Courts.
We act for shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, banks and P&I clubs on ship arrest and release, filing across all nine of India’s admiralty High Courts from our base in Ahmedabad, close to Mundra and Kandla. A court here can order arrest in about 24 hours, and it does not ask the claimant for counter-security.
In brief
How ship arrest works in India
Ship arrest is the detention of a vessel by order of a High Court to secure a maritime claim under the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017. If a vessel is lying in Indian waters, up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, and owes you a maritime claim, you can file an admiralty suit in the High Court of that coastal state and ask for its arrest. Nine High Courts hold this power, the Gujarat High Court at Ahmedabad among them, covering Kandla, Mundra and Pipavav. An order can follow within about a day, and the claimant posts no counter-security to obtain it.
Arrest desk
Where is the vessel? We’ll tell you which court to file in.
A ship is arrested in the High Court whose waters it lies in. Choose the port below to see which court that is, the security it will expect, and the usual time to an order.
Guidance only; the right court and security depend on the facts. Call us and we can run the caveat search and file, often the same day.
Gujarat is currently India’s most creditor-protective arrest forum. In Segal Ships v. M.V. Tulsi Sagar (2026) the High Court held that an owner’s undertaking is not security, and that arrest is mandatory once a prima facie claim is shown.
What we do
What we handle, from arrest to release
Ship arrest & release
Emergency arrest, caveat searches, warrant service on master, port and customs, and release against P&I letters of undertaking, bank guarantees or cash.
Maritime claims & liens
Crew wages, salvage, towage, port dues, unpaid bunkers and necessaries, general average, and priority-waterfall fights under Sections 4, 9 and 10.
Cargo & carriage disputes
Loss, damage and misdelivery, bill-of-lading and charterparty claims under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 2025 and the Hague-Visby Rules.
Ship finance & mortgages
Enforcing ship mortgages and hypothecations for Indian and foreign lenders, and protecting priority, including at the IBC/admiralty interface.
Casualty, collision & pollution
Collision, grounding, wreck removal, limitation of liability and marine-pollution claims, the issues thrown up by the MSC Elsa 3 casualty.
GIFT City leasing & arbitration
Ship-leasing at GIFT IFSC, vessel registration (now open to NRIs/OCIs), and maritime arbitration before GIMAC, Singapore or London.
How it runs
From your call to the warrant
Where the law is moving
Recent Indian arrest activity
A few recent decisions that show how quickly, and how firmly, India’s courts now deal with arrest, including the cases shaping Gujarat’s creditor-friendly stance.
Public reported matters, shown to illustrate current Indian admiralty practice. Replace with Candour’s own instructed matters where appropriate.
Home-court advantage
Why filing from Gujarat is a real edge
Most Indian admiralty counsel sit in Mumbai. We are in Ahmedabad, and Gujarat is where much of India’s maritime activity now sits.
- Mundra is India’s largest port by cargo volume, and the first to cross 200 MMT (200.7 MMT in FY2024-25).
- Kandla (Deendayal) is among India’s largest ports by area; Pipavav adds container and dry-bulk capacity.
- The Gujarat High Court is the source of India’s most creditor-protective arrest decisions (Segal Ships; Silvia Glory).
- GIFT City / IFSC is India’s ship-leasing and maritime-finance hub, home to GIMAC, the country’s first maritime arbitration centre.
- NCLT Ahmedabad handles ship-owning-company insolvency at the IBC / admiralty interface.
Who we act for
Both sides of the arrest
Shipowners & charterers
Lifting or resisting arrest, posting security efficiently, limitation of liability, and charterparty, demurrage and laytime disputes.
Cargo interests & traders
Securing claims for cargo loss, damage and misdelivery against the carrying vessel and its sister ships.
Banks & mortgagees
Enforcing ship mortgages and protecting priority against competing maritime lienholders, including before NCLT Ahmedabad.
Foreign P&I clubs & overseas counsel
India counsel for UK, Scandinavian and Singapore clubs, owners and solicitors needing a fast, coordinated arrest or release.
Why now
India rewrote its maritime code in 2025
- Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 2025 (Act 19 of 2025, in force 10 September 2025), which adopts Hague-Visby and replaces the 1925 Act.
- Merchant Shipping Act 2025, which for the first time lets NRIs, OCIs and bareboat-cum-demise charterers register Indian-flag vessels.
- Coastal Shipping Act 2025 and Bills of Lading Act 2025, replacing the 169-year-old 1856 Act.
- MSC Elsa 3 (May 2025), which triggered India’s largest-ever admiralty claim, ₹9,531 crore, and a run of sister-ship arrests.
Questions we get
Ship arrest in India: your questions
How do you arrest a ship in India?
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You file an in rem admiralty suit in the High Court of the coastal state where the vessel lies, pleading a maritime claim under Section 4 of the Admiralty Act 2017, and move for an arrest order. A High Court can commonly order arrest within about 24 hours; the warrant is then served on the master and lodged with the port and customs so the vessel cannot sail.
Which High Courts have admiralty jurisdiction in India?
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Nine: the High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. Each covers the ports on its coastline; the Gujarat High Court covers Kandla, Mundra and Pipavav.
Can a foreign-flagged ship be arrested in India?
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Yes. A ship can be arrested regardless of its flag, the nationality of its owner, or where the claim arose, provided it is within 12 nautical miles of the Indian coast and within the relevant High Court’s waters. A foreign vessel in Indian waters submits to admiralty jurisdiction.
How long does it take to arrest a ship in India?
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An arrest order can often be obtained within about 24 hours of filing, and no counter-security is required from the claimant, only an undertaking as to damages for wrongful arrest. Speed depends on how quickly the plaint and supporting affidavit can be readied, which is why early instruction matters.
Can a sister ship be arrested in India?
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Yes. Section 5 of the Admiralty Act 2017 permits arrest of a sister ship, meaning another vessel in the same beneficial ownership as the ship connected to the claim. This is the mechanism the State of Kerala used to arrest MSC Elsa 3’s sister vessels.
How is an arrested ship released, and what security is required?
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A vessel is released once acceptable security is provided, typically a P&I club letter of undertaking, a bank guarantee or cash into court, in an amount fixed by the court to cover the claim plus interest and costs.
What claims can a ship be arrested for?
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Section 4 of the Admiralty Act 2017 lists the maritime claims that justify arrest: crew wages, salvage, towage, pilotage, port dues, damage done by the ship, cargo loss or damage, unpaid bunkers and necessaries, ship mortgages, and disputes over ownership or possession.
Can a ship be arrested for a charterer’s unpaid bunkers?
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It depends. A bunker or necessaries claim is a Section 4 maritime claim, but it is not a maritime lien and may not bind the vessel where the debt was incurred by a charterer rather than the owner. This turns on the facts and on the Supreme Court’s reasoning in Chrisomar Corp v. MJR Steels, which we check before you file.
Talk to Manasvi Thapar
Founder, Arbitration & Litigation. Ship arrest moves fast, and the choice of court matters. Call us, and within the hour we can tell you whether and how quickly we can act.