Bokaro: India requires about 3.5 lakh containers every year, but there is no container production in India. The country had to depend mainly on China which is a global producer. But now, Steel major Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has started producing weather-resistant steel, which will reduce India’s dependence on China.
Container manufacturing in India was viewed as the solution to container shortage that could eliminate dependence of India on China.
Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), a unit of SAIL, has obtained the license from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for IS 11587:1986 “Weather resistant Structural Steel”, grades WR-Fe 480A (general application for weather-resistant structural steel), WR-Fe 480B (Low Phosphorus Micro-alloyed weather-resistant structural steel) and WR-Fe 490H (for container manufacturing) to roll steel according to the standards specified.
Shortage badly impacted India’s export-import supply chain-
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a huge shortage of shipping-grade containers globally. Many containers were tied up at ports, storage facilities & vessels worldwide due to government restrictions and regulations.
The rising demand, port congestions, and closed manufacturing operations made the shortage worse. This resulted in an increase in container freight rates phenomenally across the world imposed by shipping lines. This badly impacted India’s export-import supply chain.
Inter-ministerial panel was set up on directions of PM Office-
The challenges faced were not only on the economies of scale in which India produces these containers, but also on the availability of raw material used in its manufacture, the corrosion/weather resistant steel.
To study the problem and chalk out a plan to create capacity for manufacturing shipping-grade containers in India, an inter-ministerial panel was set up on the directions of the Prime Minister’s Office in June 2022. During interactions with industry stakeholders, the committee learnt that the specific steel used for making containers was not available to the Indian standards.
This is how BSL strengthens the vision of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat-
The matter was brought to the notice of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which has now amended its Indian standard (IS 11587:1986), to fulfill the demand of domestic container manufacturers used for domestic and EXIM trades and introduced new grade WR-Fe 490H equivalent to Corten-steel.
As per Government guidelines, Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) as a leading steel manufacturer, obtained the license from BIS. Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) regularly produces weather-resistant steel “SAILCOR” in hot and cold rolled coils, plate and sheet form.
This is an indigenous equivalent grade for CORTEN Steel and is used by Indian Railway for weather resistant structural/wagons manufacturing. As an import substitute, production of these grades at Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) will strengthen the vision of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat
