·
Government
has proposed the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS) with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years
to develop a competitive domestic container manufacturing ecosystem.
·
Import
dependence is a key concern:
India currently imports nearly 2
million empty containers annually, exposing domestic logistics
to global freight volatility and supply-chain disruptions.
·
CMAS
aims to expand domestic capacity
to around 7.5 lakh TEUs
annually, described in the document as roughly 10 times the
existing production capacity.
·
The
scheme will support:
o New Greenfield
container manufacturing facilities.
o Expansion of existing Brownfield units.
o Operational support to improve
competitiveness.
o Testing infrastructure, skill development
and capacity building.
·
Objective: Reduce dependence on imported containers,
strengthen supply-chain resilience and support India’s long-term trade and
manufacturing ambitions.
·
CMAS
complements wider maritime initiatives,
including Make in India, Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, PM Gati Shakti, the
National Logistics Policy and the Sagarmala
Programme.
·
Bharat
Container Shipping Line (BCSL):
A February 2026 MoU brings together SCI, CONCOR, JNPA, VOCPA and SFMCL, with
proposed investment of about ₹99,149
crore for 51 container vessels and domestic container
procurement.
·
Employment
potential: CMAS
could generate around 3,000
direct jobs and more than 50,000 indirect jobs across container
manufacturing and allied industries.
·
Ancillary
industries expected to benefit
include manufacturers of corner castings, wooden frames and Corten steel.
·
First
India-made export container:
In July 2026, India rolled out its first domestically manufactured EXIM
shipping container for A.P.
Moller–Maersk, unveiled at the Maersk–CONCOR Inland Container
Depot at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.
·
The
container complied with ISO
standards and the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC),
demonstrating India's capability to manufacture containers for global shipping
networks.
·
Maersk
subsequently ordered 1,000 additional Made-in-India containers from DCM Shriram
Group,
providing an early commercial endorsement of India's emerging manufacturing
capability.
·
Broader
maritime reforms
include the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Coastal Shipping Act, 2025 and Indian
Ports Act, 2025, along with digital initiatives such as One Nation One Port
Process, Maritime Single Window and e-Samudra.
·
A ₹70,000 crore Shipbuilding
Financial Assistance Package has also been announced to
strengthen domestic shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing.
·
Major
projects such as Vadhavan Port, Galathea Bay International
Container Transshipment Port, Tuna Tekra Container
Terminal and the Outer Harbour Container Terminal at VOCPA are
expected to expand maritime infrastructure and cargo-handling capacity.
·
Three
Indian ports are ranked among the world’s top 30 in the CPPI 2025, reflecting improvements in port
efficiency.
CMAS
is intended to shift India from heavy dependence on imported empty containers
toward a domestically anchored container-manufacturing ecosystem. Combined with shipbuilding, ports,
shipping and multimodal-logistics reforms, it seeks to strengthen supply-chain
resilience, create jobs and position India as a global maritime manufacturing and logistics hub.
[ABS News Service/11.08.2026]