Hon’ble Prime Minister of India had announced the launch of India’s first national container shipping line, Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL), on 29th October 2025 during India Maritime Week 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen India’s maritime economy and promote ease of doing business in India.

To achieve the vision of Hon’ble 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 Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Sh. Ashwini Vaishnaw and  Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sh Sarbananda Sonowal, signalling a coordinated push across shipping, ports & rail-linked logistics. The Union Minister of State for MoPSW, Sh. 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, ship building, etc thereby giving fillip to overall maritime ecosystem in the country.

CONCOR is expected to hold 30% stake in the proposed JV Company which will be an amalgamation of domain expertise of respective constituents as mentioned above. This national carrier will provide comprehensive end-to-end multimodal logistics solutions for EXIM and coastal trade.