The Union Government moved closer to an integrated domestic container ecosystem as a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to establish the Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL). The signing in New Delhi was attended by Sarbananda Sonowal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shantanu Thakur from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW). The event signalled a coordinated push across shipping, ports and rail-linked logistics.

The BCSL MoU was signed by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOCPA), Chennai Port Authority and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL) under MoPSW. A separate tripartite MoU was concluded to finance the Outer Harbour project at VOCPA, Tuticorin, between VOCPA, Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) and SMFCL. The agreements align with the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme (CMAS) announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.

The financing framework provides joint funding of up to Rs 150 bn for eligible projects to expand port capacity under the Sagarmala Programme and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Funding will focus on debt for breakwater construction and allied onshore and offshore facilities, primarily through a Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

Ministers described the initiatives as strategic steps to build national shipping capability in the container segment and to enhance commercial presence in global maritime trade under Maritime Amrit Kaal 2047. They said BCSL would anchor India's container trade and that the Outer Harbour financing would strengthen the port backbone and multimodal connectivity. Officials noted that the historic absence of a strong Indian container carrier had left exporters and importers exposed to volatile freight rates and supply shocks.

The release noted India, currently the world's fourth largest economy, is projected to reach a GDP of about USD seven point three tn by 2030, a trajectory expected to increase containerised cargo traffic. The MoUs were presented as concrete steps to translate the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat vision into maritime capability.