Section 75 in The Naval Ceremonial, Conditions Of Service And Miscellaneous Regulations, 1964
75. Merchant Ships allowed to wear the Indian Blue Ensign.
(1)Indian Merchant ships may wear the Indian Blue Ensign plain and under faced, consisting of a Royal Blue Flag, the width being one half of the length and the National Flag of India superimposed in the top quarter next to the Staff, provided the following conditions are fulfilled:(a)The officer commanding the ship must be an officer on the retired or emergency list of the Indian Navy or an officer of the Indian Naval Reserve.(b)The crew must include (in addition to the Commanding Officer) officers of the Indian Naval Reserve to the number specified from time to time by the Chief of the Naval Staff, but officers on the retired or emergency list of the Indian Navy may be included in the number specified.(c)Before hoisting the Blue Ensign, the officer commanding the ship must be provided with a warrant issued by the Chief of the Naval Staff.(d)The fact that the Commanding Officer holds a warrant authorising him to hoist the Blue Ensign must be noted on the ship's articles of agreement.(2)Commanding Officers failing to fulfil the conditions mentioned in sub regulation (1) unless such failure is due to death or other circumstances over which they have no control, shall not be entitled to wear the Blue Ensign.(3)Indian merchant ships in receipt of Government subvention may be allowed to wear the Blue Ensign under a warrant issued by the Chief of the Naval Staff with any badge that may be prescribed in the Warrant.(4)In order to ascertain that the conditions mentioned in sub-regulation (1) are strictly carried out, the Captain of one of Indian Naval Ships meeting a ship wearing the blue ensign may send on board an officer not below the rank of Lieutenant at any convenient opportunity. This restriction as to the rank of the boarding officer shall not limit or otherwise affect the authority or the duties of Naval officers under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 or in time of war.(5)Applications for permission to wear the blue ensign on board Indian Merchant ships in receipt of Government subvention, should be made direct to the Chief of the Naval Staff by the owners and for other Indian Merchant ships, applications should be made through the Director General of Shipping Bombay.
