The Institute of Marine Engineers existed in India as a division of Institute of Marine Engineers, London. From there on the national foundation, named as The Institute of Marine Engineers (India) was enrolled as a Society under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 on 29 October 1977. The principal Governing Council of the Institute was framed in 1980. The Institute was in this manner enrolled as a Charitable Organization under Bombay Public Trust Act 1950 on 31 May 1982. 

The items and purposes for which the Institute is comprised are to advance the logical improvement of Marine Engineering in the entirety of its branches and in the encouragement of such learning, to empower Marine Engineers to meet and compare to encourage the bury change of thoughts in regard of upgrades and improved strategies for working apparatus, to distribute and impart data on such articles, to maintain the status of individuals from the Institute by recommending or holding assessment for contender for political decision or by requiring guidelines of information and experience which can be endorsed, to collaborate with Universities, other instructive foundations and open instructive bodies for the promotion of training in building science, and to establish and keep up a Benevolence finance, for managing alleviation to poverty stricken individuals from the Institute and the groups of perished individuals. This reserve, being exclusively committed to conceding money related help in the wake of settling costs, to be known as the "Altruism Fund", and to work according to explicit rules detailed by the Institute.