(1) Indian Merchant ships may wear the Indian Blue Ensign plain and un-defaced, 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 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
(d) 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 authorizing 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 the other Indian Merchant ships, applications should be made through the Director General of Shipping, Bombay.
76. Indian Fleet Auxiliaries and Vessels other than ships of war, on naval service allowed to wear the Indian Blue Ensign (Defaced).
(1) Vessels other than ships of War employed in Naval service by the Government whether belonging to or under charter to Government shall wear the Blue Ensign defaced by an anchor in horizontal position. The Anchor emblem shall be in yellow colour and be displayed in the centre of the fly. The dimension of the emblem shall not exceed that of a circle whose diameter is 13/30th of the width of the flag.
(2) The fly shall be half of the flag farthest away from the mast.
77. Vessels owned by Organisations under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Government of India, allowed to wear the Indian Blue Ensign defaced by Badges of Office.
(1) Vessels owned by organizations under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, except the Light House Department and Port Administration shall wear the Indian Blue Ensign defaced by an Ashoka Chakra superimposed over the shanks of the anchor in a vertical position. The defacing shall be done in a light golden colour.
(2) Vessels owned by the Light House Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, shall wear the Indian Blue Ensign defaced by a Light House in a vertical position with two white light beams emanating horizontally from the beacon. The defacing shall be done in a light golden colour.
(3) Badges of office referred to in sub-regulations (1) and (2) shall be displayed in the centre of Fly, the dimensions of the badge not exceeding that of a circle whose diameter is 13/30th of the width of the flag.
Explanation. – The Fly shall be half of the flag farthest away from the mast.
SECTION XI – HONOURS AND MARKS OF RESPECT