To be marketed as the Far East Express One (FEX1), the service has been
designed with stops in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, in addition to
India.
On the Indian leg,
the string will have three ports of call: Hazira, Mundra and Nhava Sheva.
The full port rotation is Mundra, Hazira, Nhava Sheva, Haiphong, Shekou,
Laem Chabang, Port Klang and Mundra. The first vessel is due to dock at Mundra
on 30 March.
Estimated transit times from Mundra will be 13 days to Haiphong, 15 days
to Shekou, 20 days to Laem Chabang and 24 days to Port Klang.
Established in 2020, Asyad Line was formerly known as Oman Container
Lines (OCL). In India, Seabridge Marine Agencies, reportedly part of
Mumbai-based Parikh Group, will be acting as a sole representative agent for
Asyad Line, according to available information.
The move comes as Far East imports into India have seen strong traction
in recent months, because of growing demand for raw materials and semi-finished
goods to meet manufacturing expansion in the emerging economy. This
increasingly noticeable pattern, according to trade observers, is rooted in the
so-called trade diversification that has the potential to propel reshoring or
near-shoring supply chains.
Several other
niche intra-Asia carriers have introduced more connections out of India to tap
the growth potential. A new crop of emerging
feeder/regional lines, including SeaLead Shipping, TS Lines, Sinotrans and
SITC, have joined Pacific International Lines (PIL), Evergreen Marine and
Regional Container Lines (RCL) in expanding intra-Asia networks connecting to
India. French carrier CMA CGM recently
also opened a direct connection between West India and China. The Asia
Subcontinent Express 2 (AS2) offers a rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou,
Singapore, Colombo, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Singapore and Shanghai