Maersk starts India/Europe service

Maersk starts India/Europe service    Maersk Line and subsidiary Safmarine will start a service linking the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and northern Europe in March.
   The ICON service will operate with seven 3,400-TEU vessels with a port rotation of Chennai, Colombo, Salalah, Zeebrugge, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Salalah and Colombo.
   'Being in close dialog with our customers helps us spot trends in sourcing and anticipate future needs,' said says Vincent Clerc, vice president for Europe services at Maersk Line. 'That is how we came up with the ICON service. It is a milestone in the development of our coverage of the Indian Subcontinent.'
      Safmarine Trade Director Kris Van Den Brande said the service will 'improve transit times by an average of four days from Chennai to Zeebrugge and Felixstowe, with an average of 22 days’ transit time from Rotterdam to Chennai. Increased flexibility is offered with an additional Salalah call westbound that will improve transit times to and from Pakistan. The call in Colombo will serve as transshipment hub for Bangladesh and South Indian Ports, and it will also be catering for the local Sri Lankan market.'
   The service begins March 7 from Europe.