Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union MoS Shantanu Thakur and others during the signing ceremony for the establishment of the Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL) in New Delhi on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: @sarbanandsonwal X/ANI Photo
The government on Tuesday announced the signing of an agreement to establish the Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL) to build an integrated container ecosystem in the country.
The pact for BCSL is in line with the spirit of the Rs 10,000-crore Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS) for the next five years as announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, the government said in a statement.
Supporting container growth
The program aims to create a globally competitive container manufacturing ecosystem in India, supporting the rapid growth of container freight, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the value of international trade.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Shipping Corporation of India, Container Corporation of India, JNPA, VO Chidambaranar Port Authority, Chennai Port Authority and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister for Railways, I&B and Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw and signals a coordinated push in the areas of shipping, ports and rail-based logistics, it said.
Domestic capacity target
India is targeting an annual domestic production capacity of around one million TEUs over the next decade.
Additionally, a separate tripartite MoU for financing the Outer Harbor project at VO Chidambaranar Port Authority has also been signed between VOCPA, Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) and SMFCL, it said.
Financing the port expansion
This MoU envisages joint funding of up to Rs 15,000 crore for eligible port capacity expansion projects under the Sagarmala program and Prime Minister Gati Shakti’s national master plan, the statement said.
The financing framework focused on debt financing for the construction of breakwaters and related onshore-offshore assets, primarily through a Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), it said.
“The Bharat Container Shipping Line… will anchor India’s container trade in Indian hands while the Outer Harbor financing strengthens our port backbone. It is likely to play a multiplier role to strengthen our strategic and commercial presence in global maritime trade,” Sonowal said.
Robust container ecosystem
According to Vaishnaw, with the new shipping and container line being developed in collaboration with CONCOR, the country can build a robust world-class container ecosystem with an investment of about Rs 15,000 crore.
“Following our initiatives in shipbuilding, financial support, ship recycling and broader maritime development, the launch of this container line is an important next step,” said Vaishnav.
Published on February 4, 2026