First India-made EXIM shipping container rolled out in big step to self-reliance
New Delhi, July 3
In a major milestone for India's maritime and manufacturing sectors, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday unveiled the first export-import shipping container manufactured in India for global shipping major A.P. Moller-Maersk at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri.
Maersk also placed an order for 1,000 additional India-manufactured shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group during the event. This marks the beginning of a long-term commercial partnership that is expected to strengthen India's position in the global maritime value chain, according to an official statement.
"The achievement follows the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with Robert Maersk Uggla, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of A.P. Moller-Maersk, in February 2025, during which the Prime Minister encouraged the company to actively support the development of world-class container manufacturing in India. Within just 16 months, that vision has culminated in the successful rollout of the country's first internationally procured, India-manufactured EXIM shipping container, demonstrating the Government's ability to translate strategic intent into timely execution," the statement said.
In his remarks on the occasion, Sonowal said: "Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is rapidly emerging as a trusted global manufacturing and maritime powerhouse. The unveiling of the first India-manufactured EXIM shipping container for a leading global shipping line is a defining milestone in our journey towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. It reflects the growing confidence of the global industry in India's manufacturing capabilities and our commitment to building world-class maritime infrastructure."
The first India-manufactured container has been produced in accordance with internationally accepted quality and safety standards, including ISO specifications and the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), making it suitable for global deployment.
The development also aligns with the Modi government's efforts to promote domestic manufacturing through policy interventions, including the Rs 10,000 crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) framework announced in the Union Budget 2026 for domestic container manufacturing.
"The CMPS scheme envisages an annual manufacturing capacity boost by 10 times up to 7.5 lakh TEUs, supported through capital assistance, operational incentives, research, testing and technology development. It will create a strong domestic manufacturing ecosystem, generate employment, encourage technology transfer and significantly strengthen India's supply-chain resilience," Sonowal added.
The event was attended by Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Marisa Gerards, AP Moller Maersk Managing Director Thomas Theeuwes, senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, and representatives of the DCM Shriram Group.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Maersk ordering 1,000 more containers shows global confidence in our manufacturing. As a logistics professional, I know how dependent we've been on Chinese-made containers. This is a big step for Atmanirbhar Bharat. 👏
Impressive timeline—from PM Modi's meeting with Uggla in Feb 2025 to rollout in just 16 months. That's faster than many Indian infrastructure projects I've seen. Let's hope quality standards hold up against global competition.
Great step but I wish the government would also focus on port infrastructure upgrades. What's the use of making containers if our ports still have long turnaround times? We need both manufacturing AND efficiency improvements. 🇮🇳
This is what we need—actual manufacturing jobs, not just service sector growth. The 7.5 lakh TEU target by 2026 is ambitious but achievable if we maintain policy consistency. Well done, Ministry of Ports and Shipping! 🚛
I work in EXIM trade, and this is a game-changer. Currently, we pay through the nose for leasing containers from foreign operators. Local manufacturing will reduce costs and improve supply chain reliability. Hope DCM Shriram delivers quality. 💼
T Thomas Y