INDIA —India’s largest commercial port operator is taking steps to optimize the lifecycle management of maritime cargo equipment. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) is launching a dedicated Empty Container Yard (ECY) integrated with warehousing operations at the Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone in Gujarat. APSEZ currently commands a 45.5% share of India's overall container market as of FY26, with Mundra Port alone handling nearly 35% of the country's containerized trade. The port currently processes an estimated 1.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of empty containers annually, making efficient management of this equipment critical to national supply chain velocity.
As part of its Ambition 2031 capacity expansion roadmap, APSEZ plans to add more than 6 million TEUs of container handling capacity across its network over the next five years. The new dedicated Empty Container Yard at Mundra will be operated by APSEZ in collaboration with partners, including Container Freight Stations (CFS) and global shipping lines. The facility will centralize end-to-end services for empty container management, encompassing storage, inspection, maintenance, and seamless repositioning to exporters.
From an operational and supply chain perspective, centralizing empty container handling directly within the port and SEZ ecosystem addresses major logistics bottlenecks. Faster turnaround times for container repositioning reduce unnecessary transit movements, lower inland freight costs, and ensure a steady supply of viable equipment for domestic exporters. The consolidation also improves safety, security, and regulatory compliance by establishing closer coordination among customs authorities, terminal operators, and transporters.
For international shipping lines, freight forwarders, and logistics investors, the infrastructure upgrade at Mundra reinforces its position as a highly integrated international trade gateway. Improving the turnaround velocity of empty containers enables shipping companies to optimize vessel load factors and reduce equipment dwell times, effectively lowering the overall cost of maritime trade while aligning with national objectives to enhance the ease of doing business under the Viksit Bharat vision.
