It has now been in the known for many years that container shortage is most likely a persistent issue for the global maritime shipping industry. With most containers stuck in China and the Western countries, the Center is pushing and preparing a roadmap for domestic container manufacturing. The move has been discussed at the highest levels of the Government, with top functionaries pushing for boosting domestic manufacturing amidst the pressure on existing capacities, globally.
The agenda of domestic container manufacturing was discussed yesterday in the inter-ministerial discussion and an official statement from the Center said that Container Corporation of India (Concor) will be working closely with the Shipping Ministry. It was also deliberated how the domestic container manufacturing will boost domestic trade and cargo movement, while leveraging India’s inland waterways network. The aforesaid was discussed in a meeting among Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw amd Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The statement also mentioned that the possibility of movement of bulk cargo like cement, food grains, and fertilisers etc. through coastal and inland waterways in containerised form was also discussed, while keeping in mind logistics cost reduction. If the deliberations are acted upon, it will prove to be economical as well as ecological for the Indian logistics & supply chain sector.
These inter-ministerial talks were held after deliberations with representatives from shipping line, container operators, and steel companies. In the domestic segment, it has been estimated that CONCOR has a requirement for approximately 50,000 containers in the next three years.
