Maersk places order for 1,000 shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group
Global shipping major AP Moller–Maersk has placed an order for 1,000 additional India-manufactured shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday unveiled the first export-import (EXIM) shipping container manufactured in India for AP Moller–Maersk at the Maersk-CONCOR Inland Container Depot in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh.
Maersk placed an order for 1,000 additional India-manufactured shipping containers with DCM Shriram Group during the event, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in a statement.
This marks the beginning of a long-term commercial partnership that is expected to strengthen India’s position in the global maritime value chain, the statement added.
“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,” Sonowal said. It reflects the growing confidence of global industry in India’s manufacturing capabilities and our commitment to building world-class maritime infrastructure, he added.
According to the statement, 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 Union Budget 2026 for domestic container manufacturing.
The initiative is expected to reduce India’s dependence on imported containers, strengthen supply chain resilience and create a globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem.
The scheme also aims at capex support for establishing Greenfield container manufacturing and expansion of existing brownfield facilities, opex support to bridge the cost gap per container to improve competitiveness of domestic manufacturing. It also intends to boost Research & Development (R&D).
The event was attended by Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Netherlands; Thomas Theeuwes, Managing Director, AP Moller Maersk; Ahmad Hasan, Senior Vice President, Maersk and other senior officials from the ministry.
Maersk in a separate statement said it views the milestone not as an endpoint but as the foundation for a long-term supply relationship that will grow in scale as Indian manufacturers consistently demonstrate they can meet global quality standards at competitive costs.
