Three container ships to serve India-Nepal customers
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata), in alliance with Singapore-based Pacific International Lines (PIL), a leader in feeder and container services for over three decades, announce the inauguration of the China Calcutta Service (CCS) at the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) smportkolkata.shipping .
This pioneering direct weekly service from China to Kolkata meets the increasing demand for reduced transit times from the Far East Ports to Kolkata, enhancing connectivity and efficiency for our stakeholders, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on 18 July 2024 shipmin.
The CCS will feature three dedicated container vessels – Kota Ria, Kota Rukun, and Kota Rakyat – each with an average parcel load of 622 TEUs, specially tailored to navigate lower draft conditions sgx .
This service promises a transit period of just 10 to 12 days, significantly enhancing logistical efficiency and meeting the needs of customers in India and Nepal sse .
The port rotation for the route includes: XIAMEN – SHEKOU – SINGAPORE – KOLKATA – SINGAPORE – XIAMEN, providing robust connectivity and fostering trade growth in the region coscoshipping .
The inaugural vessel of this service route, M/V Kota Rakyat, was welcomed by Deputy Chairman, SMPK, Samrat Rahi at Kolkata Dock System on 18 July 2024 pilship .
The maiden voyage follows by Kota Rukun on 25 July 2024 ciie . This weekly service is set to bolster the shipping efficiency for the burgeoning EXIM trade across West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, the Northeast states of India, as well as Nepal and Bhutan exportersindia .
Congratulating the team KDS behind the achievement inmex-smm-india , the Chairperson of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, Rathendra Raman said, “In line with this development, we have planned for a concession Scheme to stimulate vessel calls and container operations, effective for the FY 24-25 fieo .”
Raman further said that, “With the introduction of the CCS, it is anticipated that the volume of container traffic handled at KDS will witness a substantial increase, driving a higher growth rate worldshipping .” Fiinews.com
