Milaha to launch Qatar to Turkey reefer service

The service is a regularization of two ad hoc voyages of reefer vessels from Turkey to Qatar that maritime transport and logistics company Milaha had arranged the past few weeks.    Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics company Milaha is launching what it says is the first direct reefer service between Qatar and Turkey, the company announced Aug. 22.
   The service is a regularization of two ad hoc voyages of reefer vessels from Turkey to Qatar that Milaha arranged over the past few weeks. Departures are currently scheduled for every 20-25 days between Hamad Port in Doha, Qatar and Port of Izmir in Turkey, with a transit time of 11 days.
   Milaha says the new service will initially operate with one vessel with a capacity of over 5,000 tons per voyage, and will cater mainly to temperature-controlled cargo and breakbulk. The service would have the option of adding containers upon request.
   “Trade volumes between Qatar and Turkey have significantly increased over the past few months, and we are launching this service as a cost-effective and efficient solution for this growing demand,” Milaha President and CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai explained in a statement. “This service…will further enhance connectivity and facilitate trade between Qatari, Arabian Gulf, and Turkish importers and exporters.”
   Milaha currently calls at two ports in Oman (Sohar and Salalah), three ports in India (Nhava Sheva, Mundra, and Kandla), and one port in Kuwait (Shuwaikh). At all six, it offers enhanced access options and transit times to Qatar and the region, and is said to be evaluating further expansion of services.
   The launch of the reefer service is expected to take place later this year, but Milaha has yet to confirm an exact date.