PANAJI
The Goa government has notified the Captain of Ports (CoP) Department as the Goa Maritime Board under the provisions of the Indian Ports Act, 2025.
A notification issued by the State government under the second proviso to Section 13(1) of the Indian Ports Act, 2025, stated that the Captain of Ports Department shall function as the Goa Maritime Board with immediate effect.
The move follows the State government's earlier decision to designate the existing department as the Maritime Board.
The government is simultaneously working on a dedicated Goa Maritime Board Bill, which has already been drafted and is under consideration.
The legal status of the CoP had come under controversy after the Indian Ports Act, 2025 came into force on April 1, 2026, after which the department clarified that the Central law grants States six months -- till September 30, 2026 -- to establish a State Maritime Board and expressly permits the existing port administration to be notified as the Maritime Board during the transition period.
