The new feeder shipping company Greta Shipping launches services linking the Middle East and India.
Greta Shipping is registered in Singapore and is a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Xiamen C&D. The “newcomer” to the market will operate between the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, initially on three planned services.
The JKX service will connect the port of Jebel Ali (United Arab Emirates) in the Red Sea with Karachi, the most important port in Pakistan. The recently chartered vessel “Hui Fa” (2,444 TEU) will inaugurate the route on August 15 on its maiden voyage from Jebel Ali. The shipping company will be supported by industry giant Hapag-Lloyd for the chartering, according to a statement.
In addition to JKX, Greta Shipping will open up the corridor between the UAE and the West Indies with two other services – JIX1 and JIX2 – both utilizing slot agreements with Hapag-Lloyd. JIX1 connects Jebel Ali with the port of Nhava Sheva on the West Coast of India, serving Hapag-Lloyd’s existing IG1 rotation. The start date for this service is August 11. With the JIX2 service, which will start on August 13, Greta Shipping will take over slots on Hapag-Lloyd’s KWF service, which will be expanded to include Kandla (also on the west coast of India).
All three services operate weekly and carry dry, reefer and DG cargo with seamless connections to the main networks in the Middle East, East Africa and the Red Sea. Greta Shipping will focus on regional feeder routes and serve “reliable connections” in growth markets. As reported by Xinde Marine News, the company plans further expand across the region.
“This launch reflects not only China’s growing participation in international liner services, but also the increasing importance of regionalization in global logistics,” Xinde editor-in-chief Yang Chen shared on Linkedin. “Thanks to the cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd and strong government support, Greta Shipping has made a strong and strategic start.”
