Maersk ship transporting containers
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A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has announced the launch of FI2, a new dedicated ocean service connecting Far East Asia to the Indian Subcontinent, with the first sailing departing from Shanghai on June 4.The service has been introduced in direct response to growing customer demand for additional capacity on the China-India trade route. It will provide Indian importers and exporters with a quicker, reliable, high-frequency connection to key manufacturing and sourcing hubs across northwest India, the Danish shipping major said.The weekly service will be operated with a fleet of six vessels with a nominal capacity of 4,500 TEU. The port rotation will be Shanghai – Ningbo – Nansha – Tanjung Pelepas – Nhava Sheva – Pipavav – Port Qasim.A company official said the service will also be quicker by 5-6 days than the existing FI3 service.The FI3 service connecting Jawaharlal Nehru, Pipavav, Karachi, Mundra, Colombo, Singapore, Qingdao, Xingang and Busan ports takes 30 days.Maersk said that a defining feature of the FI2 service is its call at Pipavav on India’s northwestern coastline in Gujarat. Pipavav serves as a gateway to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) rail network, enabling Maersk to offer customers a seamless, integrated logistics solution beyond the port gate.Through DFC rail connectivity, cargo arriving at Pipavav can be efficiently transported inland to the National Capital Region (NCR), including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and the surrounding industrial belts. This reduces transit times and ensures reliable delivery to the destination, making FI2 particularly compelling for customers moving high-value and time-sensitive cargo in the automotive, chemicals, retail, and technology verticals who require dependable, door-to-door supply chain solutions, the shipping line said.Published on May 29, 2026
