A.P. Moller Maersk has become the first international shipping line to procure an export-import shipping container manufactured in India.
A.P. Moller Maersk, the world’s leading integrated shipping and logistics company, has become the first international shipping line to procure an export-import shipping container manufactured in India. The inaugural unit was unveiled at the Maersk and Container Corporation of India joint-venture Inland Container Depot at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, in the presence of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. The milestone marks the culmination of a 16-month journey that began in February 2025, when Maersk’s Chairman of Supervisory Board Robert Maersk Uggla met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, during which the Prime Minister urged Maersk to support the development of world-class shipping container manufacturing in India.
The India-manufactured container was produced in collaboration with DCM Shriram Group and has passed all of Maersk’s global quality assurance requirements, including ISO structural and dimensional specifications, the International Convention for Safe Containers and structural prototype testing, earning full CSC safety approval. The commercial viability of Indian-manufactured containers has been supported by the Union Government’s proposed Rs10,000 crore Production Linked Incentive scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026, developed in consultation with the government, manufacturers and shipping lines. Ahmed Hassan, Senior Vice President of A.P. Moller Maersk, said the milestone was proof that India’s manufacturing ecosystem was getting ready for global demand. Sarbananda Sonowal said the first made-in-India Maersk container was a testament to what was possible when global companies believed in India’s potential and described it as Atmanirbhar Bharat in action.
Source: Maersk
