Global shipping major Maersk on Tuesday announced the launch of FI2, its newest dedicated maritime service connecting China and Malaysia to India and Pakistan. The FI2 is also the second to connect the Far East with the Indian subcontinent after the company's existing FI3 service.
The weekly service will be operated by a fleet of six vessels with a nominal capacity of 4,500 TEUs, and involves cargo from key sectors, such as automobiles, chemicals, retail, and technology.
The two Indian ports included in the route are the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra and the Pipavav Port in Gujarat. Other ports in the rotation are the Ningbo and Nansha ports in China, as well as the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia.
The first vessel sailing westwards under this service will be the Maersk Cotonou (IMO: 9525297), which will depart from the Shanghai Port on June 4, while the first ship sailing eastwards will be the Hansa Africa (IMO: 9419797), which will leave the Jawaharlal Nehru Port on July 5.
The shipping major said that the new service was introduced in response to growing calls for additional trade capacity on the India-China trade route—a major sign of India's growing prowess in maritime supply chains.
It added that the new service would also provide Indian importers and exporters with a quicker, reliable, high-frequency connection to key manufacturing and sourcing hubs across Northwest India.
The inclusion of the Pipavav Port in Gujarat has also been spotlighted as an important feature of the FI2 service.
This is because the Gujarat-based port serves as a gateway to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) rail network of high-speed cargo trains.
What this means is that cargo arriving via the FI2 service—mainly from China—gets fast, direct access into the National Capital Region (NCR) and other industrial regions in the vicinity.
"By combining the weekly ocean service with our rail solution via the DFC, we are going a step further and giving our customers the true integrated logistics experience," explained Thomas Theeuwes, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia.
