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In a groundbreaking initiative, Qatar Navigation (Milaha) has signed an agreement with the Kandla International Container Terminal (KICT) in India to start what is believed to be the first direct common carrier feeder service between Saudi Arabia and India.
The frequency of the service will be weekly and Milaha vessels will connect the Gujarat port of Kandla directly with Jebel Ali in Dubai, and Dammam and Jubail in Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the launch of the new service, Milaha’s president and chief executive, Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai, said: “After our successful entry into the Indian market in March 2015 with the launch of the first direct service between Qatar and India, we have been exploring various options to further enhance our presence in the country. After careful evaluation of trade patterns and feedback from our very supportive customers and partners, we decided to launch this service especially since a large proportion of agricultural produce cargo to Dammam is exported through the ports in Gujarat. This historic moment will certainly bolster trade ties between the Gulf region as a whole and India, as well as further broaden our feeder network within the Gulf and the Indian Subcontinent.”
The service, named KDX (Kandla Dammam Express), will provide rice exporters in North India with a cost effective solution for their supply chain, as KICT will provide a direct train link between Northern India’s inland container depots and the container terminal. At the other end, petrochemicals exporters in Jubail will have the advantage of a direct service to Kandla, and the convenience of connecting through to any North Indian inland container depot from Kandla.
The weekly service will be operated with two vessels and will have a port rotation of Kandla, Jebel Ali, Dammam, Jubail, Jebel Ali and Kandla, with a 14 day round trip. The first vessel, Oshairij, will sail on 4th February 2017 from the port of Kandla. Milaha will be represented by Poseidon Shipping Agency in India.
