The Directorate, is located in Mumbai and led by Director General of Shipping Shri Shyam Jagannathan, IAS[1] and Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

The main job for the directorate is to ensure that Indian ships and shipping companies meet high safety- and environmental standards, to ensure that Indian seamen have high qualifications and good working- and living conditions, and to ensure that foreign ships in Indian territory and ports meet international rules.

The Director General of Shipping is vested with statutory powers under Section 7 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, and is responsible for implementation of the provisions of the Act.

Shri Shyam Jagannathan,[2] is the current director of DG Shipping India, an IAS officer of the 1997 Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

He is on central deputation since May 2021 and will serve as director at DG Shipping for three years.