General liability against discipline
Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 deals with general liability against discipline. Any seafarer lawfully engaged shall be liable to penalty or be guilty of an offence under this Act, if he commits any of the following acts, namely:--- (a) if he quits the vessel without leave after her arrival at her port of delivery and before she is placed in security; The Act came into force on 15 Mar 2026.
(1) Any seafarer lawfully engaged shall be liable to penalty or be guilty of an offence under this Act, if he commits any of the following acts, namely:---
(a) if he quits the vessel without leave after her arrival at her port of delivery and before she is placed in security;
(b) if he has received an advance payment on the basis of his agreement and wilfully or through misconduct fails to attend his vessel or desert therefrom before the payment becomes due to him;
(c) if he wilfully disobeys any lawful command or neglects the duty;
(d) if he continues to wilfully disobey any lawful commands or if he combines with any of the seafarers to wilfully disobey any lawful commands, or continues with wilful neglect of duty or if he combines with any of the seafarer to neglect duty or to impede the navigation of the vessel or retard the progress of the voyage;
(e) if he assaults the master or any other seafarer belonging to the vessel;
(f) if he wilfully damages his vessel or commits criminal misappropriation or breach of trust in respect of, or wilfully damages any of, her stores or cargo.
(2) The prosecution against any seafarer for any offence specified under clauses (d), (e) and (f) of sub-section (1) may be instituted by the Director-General or an officer authorised by him.
(3) The Director-General may, by order, suspend or cancel any certificate granted under this Act to any seafarer for any specified period, for any offence specified in sub-section (1) during the course of the hearing or legal proceeding:
Provided that no order of suspension or cancellation shall be passed unless the person concerned has been given an opportunity of being heard.
Section 99, The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 (Act 24 of 2025).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… The scheme applies to Seamen employees or engaged as a member of crew of ship under the Merchant Ship Act 1958 who are engaged on the Article of Agreement referred in section 100 of Merchant Ship Act 1958 and Seafarers who held the Continuous Discharged Certificate as referred to in section 99 of the Merchant shipping Act 1958. The said Article of Agreement which is operative under said Merchant shipping Act applies to Indian vessels. In this light the issue referred in the said letter of M/s.Damani & Damani, Advocates & legal Consultants is not at all related to the Semen's (sic) Provident Fund …
Questions about Section 99
What does Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act deal with?
Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act is headed "General liability against discipline". Any seafarer lawfully engaged shall be liable to penalty or be guilty of an offence under this Act, if he commits any of the following acts, namely:--- (a) if he quits the vessel without leave after her arrival at her port of delivery and before she is placed in security;
How do I find court cases under Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Merchant Shipping Act 2025 99, section 99 Merchant Shipping Act 2025, section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act, and has it changed?
3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it.
When did Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act come into force?
Section 99 of the Merchant Shipping Act, cited as Merchant Shipping Act 2025 99, came into force on 15 Mar 2026, having been enacted on 18 Aug 2025. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 281. Offences and penalties5433 words
- 3. Definitions2558 words
- 89. Power to refer disputes between seafarers and employers to Tribunal770 words
- 91. Relief and maintenance of abandoned seafarers739 words
- 113. Power to make rules738 words
- 138. Power to take measures for containment of pollution and reporting of incidents667 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 16 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.