November 4, 2025

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's biggest container carrier, has made a spicy pledge that is catching everyone's attention! The company confirmed it will reflag 12 of its container ships under the Indian registry. This exciting news comes right after shipping giants CMA CGM and Maersk took similar steps, thanks to fresh Indian regulations and the government's big dream to boost trade on local ships. CEO Soren Toft revealed this promise during India Maritime Week 2025, in a high-profile Global Maritime CEO Roundtable led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Toft shared on social media, "India is a key country for MSC, with continued strong development across shipping, ports, and logistics. As part of the discussions, we also confirmed our commitment to deploy 12 vessels under the Indian flag, strengthening our long-term partnership and support for India’s maritime ambitions." Although specifics and timings are hushed for now, newspaper ETInfra spilled the beans that MSC will start by moving two vessels very soon. These ships will range between 3,000 to 5,000 TEU capacity, and the company is setting up an Indian subsidiary to manage these moves. The rest of the fleet will follow over time. Prime Minister Modi is fueling the fire by ramping up efforts to supercharge India's maritime industry. The government has introduced new financial support for building ships locally and tightened cabotage rules that require more containers traveling between Indian ports to be carried on Indian-flagged vessels. Plus, ship age limits in India encourage companies to bring younger ships under the Indian flag. This strategy is paying off big time! India’s registry, which once had almost no container ships, is now booming fast. MSC will become the third-largest private shipowner in the country. CMA CGM leads the charge, already having flagged multiple ships, including a 2,600 TEU vessel in October. Maersk isn't far behind—they recently reflagged two ships around 1,800 TEU each. Even the state-run Shipping Corporation of India is actively hunting for used container ships to add to the booming fleet. India’s maritime future is sailing ahead with full speed, thanks to these bold steps. With MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk, and India itself joining forces, the shipping wave is set to roar louder than ever!

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Tags: Msc, Indian Registry, Container Ships, Prime minister narendra modi, Maritime Industry, Shipping,