Saudi Arabia's Folk Maritime launches new liner service to Indian subcontinent
Folk Maritime Services Company of Saudi Arabia has launched a new liner service connecting the Red Sea port of Jeddah Islamic Port to India's larger commercial ports of Mundra and Nhava Sheva.
Commencing in September, the 10-day service will utilise two vessels to facilitate the movement of consumer cargo from India, and products from Saudi Arabia, including petrochemicals.
In addition to deploying its own vessel, Folk Maritime has also entered into a vessel sharing agreement (VSA) with Oman’s Asyad Shipping, which will also deploy a vessel to operate on the new route.
Folk Maritime said that India’s largest commercial and container port, Mundra in Gujarat, is a major economic gateway serving the northern hinterland of India with multimodal connectivity.
Meanwhile, Nhava Sheva port, located east of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, handles a significant portion of India’s containerised trade, and is the focal point of long-haul calls to and from the emerging market economy.