A direct container shipping connection will be available for the trade between Chennai and China with DP World, a global logistics provider, recently hosting the inaugural call for the Far East India Express (FIX1) service at its terminal in Chennai. This is the first-ever service to establish a direct shipping connection between Chennai and China, reducing transit time by eight days, by bypassing traditional transshipment ports, says a release.
The service launched on September 11 is a collaborative endeavour involving four consortium partners, with Sinotrans deploying two vessels and TS Line, Sealead, and SITC each contributing one vessel to the fleet.
The service’s rotation is designed to optimise the supply chain efficiencies, covering Ports Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Shekou ports in China, the Chennai and Vizag ports in India, and Port Kelang in Malaysia (East Bound).
The FIX1 service will be the third weekly service sailing from DP World Chennai for the East region. The service’s key beneficiaries will be the large enterprises along with the SME and MSME clusters across the South and East Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Bihar and Odissa. DP World’s vast multimodal network will allow these clusters to link with the port terminal via road and rail connectivity, the release said.