<ul data-path-to-node="12" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="2">Providing long-term regulatory stability across India's maritime ecosystem, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a two-year extension in the central deputation tenure of senior bureaucrat Shri Shyam Jagannathan to continue as the Director General (Shipping). The official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) secures his leadership position within the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.</p><p data-path-to-node="3">Under the approved terms, Jagannathan’s tenure is extended for a further period of two years beyond June 1. The extension will remain effective until June 1, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He continues to hold the post in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="5"><b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="0">Maintaining Leadership Continuity Over Core Shipping Reforms</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="6">A 1997-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Jagannathan assumed the office of DG Shipping in July 2023. Prior to directing the maritime administration, he served as the Zonal Development Commissioner for the Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) Special Economic Zone in Mumbai under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.</p><p data-path-to-node="7">The decision by the ACC to extend his central deputation ensures administrative continuity as the Ministry implements sweeping structural modernization programs. Senior administrative officials noted that his continued leadership will safeguard momentum on port modernizations, expanded coastal shipping corridors, and the technological digitization of logistics frameworks.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="9"><b data-path-to-node="9" data-index-in-node="0">Regulating Safety, Seafarer Standards, and the Blue Economy</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="10">As the head of the Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, Jagannathan commands India's principal maritime regulatory authority. The directorate possesses a vast mandate to administer and enforce merchant shipping laws, ensure comprehensive maritime safety, manage seafarer welfare, uphold training standards, regulate shipping operations, and implement international maritime conventions.</p><p data-path-to-node="11">Key focus areas defining his extended operational roadmap include:</p><ul data-path-to-node="12"><li><p data-path-to-node="12,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Workflow Automation:</b> Leveraging technology-based solutions to transition the Directorate’s end-to-end processing systems into fully computerized, paperless digital environments.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="12,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Examination Reforms:</b> Overhauling maritime qualification frameworks to strictly align with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="12,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Global Competitiveness:</b> Driving operational adjustments to improve the ease of doing business for ocean carriers, expand the domestic merchant fleet, and accelerate the sustainable growth of the national blue economy.</p></li></ul></li></ul>