India has unveiled its first domestically manufactured export-import shipping container for AP Moller-Maersk, marking a step towards strengthening local logistics and export supply chains.
Maersk also ordered 1,000 more India-made containers from DCM Shriram Group.
Backed by the Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme, India aims to expand annual production capacity to 7,50,000 TEUs.
At the event, Maersk placed an order for 1,000 additional India-manufactured shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group. The first container has been produced to internationally accepted quality and safety norms, including ISO specifications and the International Convention for Safe Containers, making it suitable for global deployment, The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in a press release.
The rollout followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with Robert Maersk Uggla, chairman of the supervisory board of AP Moller-Maersk, in February 2025, when the company was encouraged to support container manufacturing in India.
The government said the first container was delivered within 16 months of that interaction.
Sonowal said the milestone reflected rising confidence in India’s manufacturing capabilities and its maritime infrastructure plans.
The release also cited the Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme framework announced in the Union Budget 2026, which is aimed at reducing dependence on imported containers and supporting domestic capacity through capital assistance, operational support, research, testing, skilling and capacity building.
Sonowal added that the scheme envisages a tenfold increase in annual manufacturing capacity to 7,50,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
Fibre2Fashion News Desk
