First India-made EXIM shipping container rolled out in big step to self-reliance

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) 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 (EXIM) 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

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