In response to growing demand, Hapag-Lloyd will offer more services from and to India. Two new services, the South East India-Europe Express (IEX) and the Middle East-India-Africa Express (MIAX), will enter into operation in October, it was informed at a media and trade interaction organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce here on Friday.
Both the IEX and the MIAX will further strengthen and optimise Hapag-Lloyd’s market-leading position in India and connect the country even more closely to North Europe and Africa. “We believe in serving the needs of all Indian customers. To do that, a comprehensive service coverage is essential and the IEX and MIAX will be an optimal addition to our existing service portfolio,” said Mr Dheeraj Bhatia, Senior Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd’s Region Middle East.
The IEX will provide the only direct connection between South and East India and Europe in the market. The weekly service, jointly operated with ONE, YML and COSCO, will be made up of nine 6,500-TEU vessels, with Hapag-Lloyd contributing four ships. The first departures are scheduled for October 26.
The MIAX, launching on October 12, will, on the other hand, support the growing demand of transport capacity between India and Africa. Hapag-Lloyd will operate MIAX jointly with ONE. A total of nine vessels with a capacity of 2,800-TEU each will serve on this new route, five of which will be provided by Hapag-Lloyd.
Mr Lars Sorensen, Managing Director, Area India, explained that IEX will offer direct service between East India and North Europe. There will also be direct and reliable connections between Krishnapatnam, Visakhapatnam, Tuticorin and North Europe. There is the ability to serve customers’ special cargo without transhipment risks. The new service will also be providing multiple transhipment connections between Bangladesh and European base ports. There will be reliable connections via hubs in Colombo, Damietta and Piraeus to/from the Mediterranean and North Europe with an option for intra-Europe coverage.
“Hapag-Lloyd has a strong network of services connecting key markets through Indian ports. The launch of two new services —IEX and MIAX—will create stronger opportunities for ex-im cargo and for Indian manufacturers to cater to global markets. At DP World, it is our constant endeavour to deliver the best services to our partners in the supply chain with highest levels of efficiency. We are extremely pleased to be chosen by Hapag-Lloyd yet again as it reinforces their confidence in our capabilities to add value to trade. We will work closely with Hapag-Lloyd to ensure that customers benefit from our multimodal logistics capabilities in the country to effectively manage their supply chains,” said Mr Rizwan Soomar, CEO and Managing Director, DP World Indian Subcontinent, one of the leading terminal providers in the country.
Hapag-Lloyd entered the Indian market 12 years ago and has established a strong presence in the country with 12 services and 14 offices. The company has experienced significant growth in transported volumes every year since then. “In recent years we have seen strong growth in our transport volumes and market share, and today have roughly a market share of around 9 per cent. There is great potential for further growth in India and the new IEX and MIAX services are a step into that direction,” Mr Bhatia added.
Today, Hapag-Lloyd employs over 2,000 experts in India and Indians are the largest group of nationalities in the global Hapag-Lloyd organisation, highlighted a release.
