Qualifying ship.
For the purposes of this Chapter, a ship [or inland vessel, as the case may be,] is a qualifying ship if—
(a) it is a seagoing ship or vessel [, or inland vessel, as the case may be,] of fifteen net tonnage or more;
(b) it is a ship registered under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958), or a ship registered outside India in respect of which a licence has been issued by the Director-General of Shipping under section 406 or section 407 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958) [or an inland vessel registered under the Inland Vessels Act, 2021 (24 of 2021), as the case may be]; and
(c) a valid certificate in respect of such ship [or inland vessel, as the case may be,] indicating its net tonnage is in force,
but does not include—
(i) a seagoing ship or vessel [or inland vessel, as the case may be,] if the main purpose for which it is used is the provision of goods or services of a kind normally provided on land;
(ii) fishing vessels;
(iii) factory ships;
(iv) pleasure crafts;
(v) harbour and river ferries;
(vi) offshore installations;
(vii) [***]
(viii) a qualifying ship which is used as a fishing vessel for a period of more than thirty days during a previous year.