India unveiled its first Made-in-India export-import (EXIM) shipping container on July 3, 2026, at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The container was manufactured for global shipping company A.P. Moller–Maersk and was unveiled by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, marking a major step towards India’s maritime self-reliance.
During the event, Maersk placed an order for 1,000 additional Made-in-India shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group, signalling confidence in India’s growing container manufacturing industry. The development follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Robert Maersk Uggla in February 2025, where the company was encouraged to support container manufacturing in India.
The container has been built according to ISO specifications and the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), making it suitable for international shipping. Sonowal said the achievement supports Atmanirbhar Bharat and strengthens India’s position in global maritime manufacturing.
The milestone is backed by the ₹10,000 crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) announced in the Union Budget 2026. The scheme provides capital support for new manufacturing units, expansion of existing facilities, operational support, and funding for research, testing, skilling, and technology development to reduce dependence on imported containers.
According to Sonowal, the CMPS aims to increase India’s annual container manufacturing capacity tenfold to 7.5 lakh TEUs. The government expects the initiative to improve supply chain resilience, generate employment, encourage technology transfer, and establish India as a global export hub for high-quality shipping containers.
The government said the initiative complements recent maritime reforms, including the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Coastal Shipping Act, 2025, and Indian Ports Act, 2025, along with projects such as Vadhavan Port, the International Container Transshipment Port at Galathea Bay, Tuna Tekra Container Terminal, and the Outer Harbour Container Terminal to strengthen India’s maritime infrastructure.
Maersk Orders 1,000 More India-Made Shipping Containers
Kanika Sharma is a Geopolitical Analyst and Editor at BigBreakingWire. She holds a Master's degree in History from the Central University of Punjab, with an academic background in qualitative research, text analysis, and historical frameworks. At BigBreakingWire, she analyzes global trade shifts, international policies, geopolitical developments, semiconductor supply chains, manufacturing policies, and sovereign industrial initiatives. Her work combines historical context with contemporary policy and macroeconomic analysis to explain complex global developments clearly and accurately.
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