MoU signed to form Bharat Container Shipping Line
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the launch of India’s first national container shipping line, Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL), on October 29, 2025 during India Maritime Week 2025. To achieve the vision of the Prime Minister of India, detailed deliberations were held among concerned stakeholders, and thereafter, an MoU has been signed by Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) for the formation of the proposed JV Company - Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL).
This MoU has been signed between CONCOR, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), V.O. Chidambarnar Port Authority (VOCPA), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Chennai Port Authority (CPA) & Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd. (SMFCL) on 3rd February 2026 at New Delhi. The MoU signing was held in the august presence of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, signalling a coordinated push across shipping, ports & rail-linked logistics.
The Union Minister of State for MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur, also attended the ceremony. The MoU aims at the formation of a Joint Venture Company, namely BCSL, among the above-mentioned constituents for the purpose of acquiring, owning, leasing, and operating container vessels, containers, and related assets for EXIM and coastal trade, with the ultimate objective of providing comprehensive end-to-end logistics solutions to customers by integrating the expertise and experience of all proposed stakeholders across port-based services and land- and sea-based transportation.
The formation of Bharat Container Shipping Line will also lead to promoting growth of ancillary industries such as container manufacturing, shipbuilding, etc., thereby giving a fillip to the overall maritime ecosystem in the country. CONCOR is expected to hold a 30 per cent stake in the proposed JV Company, which will be an amalgamation of the domain expertise of the respective constituents as mentioned above. This national carrier will provide comprehensive end-to-end multimodal logistics solutions for EXIM and coastal trade.
