HMM, South Korea's largest container shipping line, announced Wednesday that it will launch a new container service connecting India and East Africa beginning in September.

The new Gulf-India-East Africa Service will utilize the Indian ports of Nhava Sheva — India's busiest container port — and Mundra, the country's largest commercial port by throughput, as hubs to connect to East African destinations. The first sailing is scheduled to depart from Nhava Sheva in the fourth week of September, with five 2,800-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) container ships deployed on the route.

Port calls will proceed in the following order: Nhava Sheva (India), Mundra (India), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Mombasa (Kenya) — respectively Tanzania's principal seaport and East Africa's largest port by throughput. HMM will jointly operate the service with three other carriers — China's COSCO Shipping, Singapore's PIL, and Taiwan's Interasia Lines — with plans to subsequently extend the route to the Gulf region.

The route represents the second African feeder network HMM has launched under the hub-and-spoke strategy pursued by its container division since CEO Choi Won-hyuk took office. Under this model, large vessels transport cargo along major global trade routes while smaller regional feeder ships branch out to connect additional ports.

The new service builds on HMM's existing MA2 route, which connects North and West Africa through a hub in Algeciras, Spain, providing the company a foundation for expanding its network across the African continent over the medium to long term.

HMM noted that Kenya and Tanzania — both newly added ports of call — are key gateway ports in East Africa where port infrastructure and inland logistics development are ongoing. Both countries rank among the faster-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa, and the India–East Africa trade corridor has historically centered on manufactured goods, machinery, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, and agricultural commodities. These additions are expected to significantly improve service convenience for cargo owners.

As global supply chain uncertainty intensifies, shippers are increasingly prioritizing reliable schedules and connections to a broader range of destinations, the company said. Major carriers including Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM also operate services linking the Indian subcontinent with East African ports, reflecting broader industry interest in emerging-market trade lanes. HMM's hub-and-spoke strategy — combining ultra-large vessels on long-haul routes with regional feeder networks — is designed to create a denser network capable of responding flexibly to market shifts while strengthening the company's customer service competitiveness.

HMM said it continues to secure competitive feeder vessels to operate alongside its existing ultra-large ships. In a recent regulatory filing, the company outlined plans to expand its container fleet to 1.47 million TEU across 166 vessels by 2030 as part of an upgraded mid- to long-term strategy.

An HMM official described the launch of the India–East Africa service as an important milestone in expanding the company's hub-and-spoke strategy across the African continent, adding that HMM will continue to broaden its network in high-growth-potential markets and enhance customer satisfaction through differentiated service competitiveness.

Source: The Korea Times via Hellenic Shipping News