India Rolls Out First Made-in-India Export Shipping Container

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled the first India-manufactured EXIM shipping container at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.

India has achieved a significant milestone in its maritime manufacturing journey with the rollout of its first export-import (EXIM) shipping container manufactured in the country for global shipping company A.P. Moller–Maersk. The development is expected to strengthen India's ambitions of becoming a global manufacturing and maritime hub while reducing dependence on imported containers.

Maersk places fresh order after first delivery

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled the first India-manufactured EXIM shipping container at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The event also saw Maersk place an order for 1,000 additional shipping containers with the DCM Shriram Group, signalling confidence in India's growing container manufacturing capabilities. The order marks the beginning of what both sides expect to become a long-term commercial partnership supporting India's integration into the global maritime supply chain.

The milestone follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting 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 support container manufacturing in India. Within sixteen months, the first internationally procured India-made shipping container has entered production.

Manufacturing push backed by government support

The newly manufactured container complies with international quality and safety requirements, including ISO standards and the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), making it suitable for global shipping operations. Speaking at the launch, Sonowal said the achievement reflects growing international confidence in India's manufacturing capabilities and aligns with the government's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

The project also complements the ₹10,000 crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) announced in the Union Budget 2026. The scheme is designed to encourage domestic container production through capital support for new manufacturing facilities, operational incentives to improve competitiveness, and investments in research, testing, technology development, and skill creation.

According to the Minister, the initiative seeks to expand India's annual container manufacturing capacity tenfold to 7.5 lakh TEUs, creating employment opportunities while strengthening the country's supply-chain resilience.

Maritime reforms support India's global ambitions

The government sees domestic container manufacturing as part of a broader transformation of India's maritime sector. Recent reforms include the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, the Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, and the Indian Ports Act, 2025, alongside digital initiatives such as One Nation One Port Process (ONOP), the Maritime Single Window, and e-Samudra to improve ease of doing business.

India has also introduced a ₹70,000 crore Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Package, while major infrastructure projects including Vadhavan Port, the International Container Transshipment Port at Galathea Bay, Tuna Tekra Container Terminal, and the Outer Harbour Container Terminal continue to progress. With India now emerging as the world's leading ship recycling nation and three Indian ports featuring among the top 30 globally in the Container Port Performance Index 2025, the government believes the latest manufacturing milestone further strengthens the country's position as an important player in global maritime trade.