<p data-path-to-node="5">Executing a significant overhaul of its regional maritime governance, the Government of Goa has issued an official gazette notification designating the legacy Captain of Ports (CoP) Department to function as the newly formed <b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="241">Goa Maritime Board</b>. The administrative restructuring directly operationalizes the statutory provisions of the central <b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="359">Indian Ports Act, 2025</b>, which mandates that coastal states modernize local harbor governance frameworks.</p><p data-path-to-node="6">By transitioning from a traditional department to a statutory maritime board, the authority gains expanded institutional autonomy and enhanced legal backing to regulate shipping, safety, and commercial infrastructure investments across Goa's vital inland waterways and minor ports.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="8"><b data-path-to-node="8" data-index-in-node="0">Gazette Mandate Resolves Nomenclature Disputes and Appoints Port Conservator</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="9">The transition, ordered by the Governor of Goa and signed by Ports Secretary Nikhil Dessai (IAS), resolves recent administrative uncertainties while defining new regulatory roles:</p><ul data-path-to-node="10"><li><p data-path-to-node="10,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Granting Immediate Statutory Recognition:</b> The notification, issued under the second proviso to Section 13(1) of the Indian Ports Act, 2025, formally establishes the Goa Maritime Board with immediate effect. The central law which replaced the colonial-era Indian Ports Act of 1908 gives state governments a strict six-month window to establish dedicated maritime boards.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="10,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Appointing a Central Port Conservator:</b> In a simultaneous directive issued under Section 18(1) of the national legislation, the state government has officially designated the <b data-path-to-node="10,1,0" data-index-in-node="174">Captain of Ports as the Conservator for all Minor Ports within Goa</b>. This grants the head of the board direct statutory powers to oversee vessel anchoring, channel navigation, and harbor traffic rules.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="10,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Resolving Infrastructure Nomenclature Friction:</b> The legal acceleration follows recent bureaucratic debate surrounding the state's newly constructed <b data-path-to-node="10,2,0" data-index-in-node="148">$5.9 million (₹48.8 crore)</b> ship-shaped administrative terminal on the Mandovi riverfront in Panaji. Industry experts and former officials had argued that launching the modern operational hub under the old departmental title was legally inconsistent with the newly enacted central ports framework.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="10,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="10,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">Drafting Custom Statutory Rules:</b> With the formal notification of the board now complete, the state's ports department has fast-tracked the drafting of custom operational guidelines and the broader <i data-path-to-node="10,3,0" data-index-in-node="197">Goa Maritime Board Bill</i>. These upcoming legal frameworks will outline long-term policies for private sector investment concessions, public-private partnerships, and tariff setting across the state's maritime and cruise tourism sectors.</p></li></ul>