Mediterranean Shipping Co. plans to expand its intra-India feeder service by adding a call at the Port of Hazira, a privately operated cargo hub on the west coast.
Starting in early August, the weekly service will be operated with the following rotation: Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru), Hazira, Mundra and back to Nhava Sheva.
“All exports from Hazira will be transshipped at Mundra to connect the five mainline services calling weekly at Mundra, namely, the IPAK, ISES, South Africa, East Africa and Red Sea services,” the Geneva-based carrier said.
Similarly, all Hazira-bound imports arriving on the IPAK, ISES and East Africa services will be relayed over Nhava Sheva, while Hazira imports on the South Africa and Red Sea services will be covered via Mundra.
“The coverage of Hazira underlines MSC’s commitment to the Gujarat trade as it now offers connectivity to three gateway ports in the state,” the carrier said.
Hazira, about 120 nautical miles north of Nhava Sheva, began container operations in August 2012. Built by Adani Group, the terminal has a total quay length of 2,099 feet, a 42-foot draft and four quay cranes, with an annual capacity of nearly 1 million 20-foot-equivalent units.
The Journal of Commerce