By Ann Koh and Rajesh Kumar Singh (Bloomberg) — Some of the world’s biggest exporters in Asia are intervening to alleviate a shipping container shortage that jeopardizes their overseas trading. Government-owned Indian Railways has moved empty boxes to inland depots like Delhi from seaports for free. South Korea has deployed an extra nine vessels on the Trans-Pacific route to help local manufacturers while China’s state-owned shipyard, Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry, has converted at least one freshly built paper-and-pulp carrier to transport the containers. “The state has a far bigger role within shipping in Asia, with equity stakes in numerous shipping lines, shipyards and terminals,” said Simon Heaney, senior manager of container research at Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd. “That influence is much less prevalent elsewhere in the world.”