India Launches Bharat Container Shipping Line JV with MoU Signing

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 the 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, 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