India Takes a Major Step Towards Maritime Self-Reliance with First Made-in-India EXIM Shipping Container: Sarbananda Sonowal

New Delhi, July 3, 2026: In a major milestone for India's maritime and manufacturing sectors, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, today unveiled the first export-import (EXIM) shipping container manufactured in India for global shipping major A.P. Moller-Maersk at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The milestone reflects the Government of India's unwavering commitment to transforming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 into tangible outcomes.

Marking a strong vote of confidence in India's emerging container manufacturing ecosystem, 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.

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 sixteen 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.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda 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 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 Union Minister further added, "This achievement demonstrates how the Government's policy initiatives, industry partnership and timely execution can create new opportunities for manufacturing, employment, skill development and global competitiveness. Our Government remains firmly committed to converting every vision into reality within stipulated timelines while creating a resilient and self-reliant maritime ecosystem that supports India's rise as a leading global trading nation."

The development also aligns with the Modi Government's efforts to promote domestic manufacturing through policy interventions, including the ₹10,000 crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) framework announced in the Union Budget 2026 for domestic container manufacturing. The initiative is expected to reduce India's dependence on imported containers, strengthen supply chain resilience and create a globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem. The scheme also aims at Capex support for establishing Greenfield container manufacturing and expansion of existing brownfield facilities, Opex support to bridge the cost gap per container to improve competitiveness of domestic manufacturing. It also intends to boost Research & Development (R&D) support for promotion of research, testing, skilling, and capacity building.

On government's initiative to boost capacity, Sonowal further said, "The CMPS scheme envisages an annual manufacturing capacity boost by 10 times upto 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. The objective is clear, to make India self-reliant in container manufacturing and to establish our country as a global export hub for high-quality containers."

The Government views this milestone as the beginning of a larger transformation of India's maritime manufacturing landscape. With increasing participation from global shipping companies, a supportive policy environment and growing domestic capabilities, India is well-positioned to become a significant global hub for shipping container manufacturing.

The Modi Government has enacted landmark legislations, including the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 and the Indian Ports Act, 2025, while introducing transformative digital initiatives such as One Nation One Port Process (ONOP), the Maritime Single Window and e-Samudra to enhance ease of doing business. Backed by a ₹70,000 crore Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Package and the proposed Bharat Container Shipping Line,

With India emerging as the world's leading ship recycling nation, three Indian ports now ranked among the global top 30 in the Container Port Performance Index 2025, and mega infrastructure projects such as Vadhavan Port, the International Container Transshipment Port at Galathea Bay, Tuna Tekra Container Terminal and the Outer Harbour Container Terminal progressing rapidly, the Government remains committed to building a world-class maritime ecosystem that will drive India's economic growth and global competitiveness.

The event was attended by Her Excellency Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Gopal Krishna Aggarwal, National Spokesperson BJP, Thomas Theeuwes, Managing Director, AP Moller Maersk, Mr Ahmad Hasan, Sr Vice President, Maersk and other senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, representatives of the maritime industry, Maersk, DCM Shriram Group, CONCOR and other stakeholders.

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MI/Indu