The Hindu Business Line : APL plans China India Express service

Kolkata April 18 APL, the container shipping arm of NOL, the Singapore-based transportation and logistics group, proposes to launch China India Express (CIX) from mid-May in partnership with the Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Lines (OOCL), according to shipping industry sources.

CIX will replace APL's existing Singapore Subcontinent 2 (SS2) service for wider port coverage.

The port rotation for CIX thus will be: Xingang-Dalian-Qingdao-Hong Kong- Shekou-Singapore-Colombo-Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) -Singapore-Hong Kong-Xingang. Thus, the proposed new service will expand port coverage up to North China and make additional stops in South China and Colombo on its way to India whereas SS2 now calls at ports between the shipping line's hubs in Singapore and NSICT.

Capacity

In all five vessels, capacity ranging between 2,000 and 2,500 TEUs, will be deployed on the service and three of them will be provided by APL and two others by OOCL. APL, as the sources point out, would like to cash in on the booming North China - India trade. Driven by the high economic growth in these two countries, the customers' appetite for more direct services on the route is increasing. The proposed service is expected to meet the growing needs of the customers, it is felt.

CIX is being launched amid forecasts that China will witness a GDP growth of 9.5-10 per cent in the current year and North China ports such as Xingang, Dalian and Qingdao will continue to post strong growth while India's GDP growth is estimated to grow between eight per cent and 8.5 per cent during the year.

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