<p><b>The Maersk Ronneby container ship is loaded at the Container Terminal at the Cochin Port on Willingdon Island in Kerala</b> <p></p><p> <p>Shares in Shipping Corporation of India, the country's largest shipping firm, leapt by as much as a fifth on Wednesday after the cabinet approved a 10 per cent stake sale in the state-run company. <p></p><p> <p>The government also allowed the company, which plans to spend about $4.3 billion over two years to buy 57 new ships, to issue fresh shares for another 10 per cent to part finance the expansion. <p></p><p> <p>Analysts said the approval was a boost in the arm for the company and large investors would be interested in adding the stock to their portfolio, but the jump in prices was a knee-jerk reaction. <p></p><p> <p>Shares in Shipping Corp, which the market values at $1.6 billion, were trading up 15.8 per cent at Rs 194.6 by 11:51 am on BSE. The stock had risen as high as 202.5, its highest since January 2008. <p></p><p> <p>The Indian government plans to raise $8.6 billion through stake sales in the current fiscal year that ends next March. <p></p><p> <p><b>(Pictures by Reuters)</b> <p></p>