The International Cooperation Branch (Int’l Coop) is the Directorate General of Shipping’s outward-facing arm, charged with advancing India’s maritime interests on the world stage. We coordinate bilateral, regional and multilateral initiatives, align domestic policy with IMO instruments, and serve as the single window for foreign engagements, missions aligning with maritime interests.

It functions as the nodal point for India’s global maritime diplomacy. It coordinates India’s participation in IMO, ILO, and related UN bodies, oversees stakeholder consultations, and ensures alignment of global maritime law with national interest. The Branch supports working groups on legal reforms, blue economy strategy, and institutional capacity development. It facilitates participation in training, technical assistance, and rule-making exercises and ensures institutional continuity in strategic engagements. The ICB also supports research-backed policy input in collaboration with premier law and trade institutions like IIFT and MNLU.