Carriers sense growth and pour capacity into ex-India ocean trades
Indian trades are seeing a fresh wave of container capacity injections by Asian carriers, as regional freight demand remains upbeat.
Among the predominant regional lines, OOCL, HMM, and Emirates Shipping (ESL) have markedly consolidated their operations in India in recent months, with more service launches and network enhancements.
Hong Kong-based OOCL is to launch a shuttle loop connecting India's east coast ports of Chennai and Visakhapatnam to Port Klang in Malaysia at the end of the month, a single port of destination (POD) connection targeting Indian transhipment cargo.
"The FCS4 will provide direct connections, offering improved flexibility, connectivity, and service reliability for cargo movements between Malaysia and East India," the Cosco subsidiary told customers.
The move complements two intra-Asia services OOCL added out of India's west coast (JNPA/Mundra) in Q2 26. They are: South-east Asia-Indian Subcontinent Service 2 (SIS2), on a rotation of Qinzhou, Yangpu, Haiphong, Singapore, Mundra, Singapore, Hong Kong and Qinzhou; and the South-east Asia-Indian Subcontinent Service (SIS), rotating Laem Chabang, Singapore, Port Klang, JNPA (Nhava Sheva), Mundra, Karachi, Port Klang, Singapore and Laem Chabang.
Similarly, ESL has expanded its capacity out of India by splitting its Red Sea network into two loops, deploying two vessels on each in a pendulum fashion. The upgraded twin operations begin this month: the South Red Sea Service (SRS), on a rotation of JNPA, Jeddah, and JNPA; and the North Red Sea Service (NRS), on a rotation of JNPA, Djibouti, Aqaba, Sokhna, Sohar, and JNPA, according to industry updates.
Meanwhile, South Korean liner HMM opened a new India-East Africa loop in late September, in conjunction with Cosco, Interasia Lines, and PIL, to tap into growing demand on the trade. The Gulf-India-East Africa (GIA) links JNPA, Mundra, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, and JNPA on a 35-day rotation, arguably a more competitive option than other networks previously available for the promising India-Africa market.
Alongside the entrenched operators, Indian shippers have seen capacity coming from new market entrants, like Vietnam-based Hai An Lines, which last month launched the standalone CVI service connecting Chennai, South-east Asia and China, with the 1,800-teu Haian Beta.
Industry sources believe this frenzied capacity influx reflects carrier expectations of sustained growth opportunities ex-India, as the economy is forecast to expand faster than other traditional emerging markets. Its real GDP is estimated to have recorded an impressive 7.8% expansion in Q1 of fiscal year 2026-27, according to the latest government data.
Reflecting that buoyant economic outlook, container volumes through Indian ports, especially JNPA, have gained measurable pace this year. JNPA hit its highest-ever monthly throughput last month, handling some 865,000 teu, up from 680,000 teu in October 2025, with year-to-date volumes reaching 5.5m teu, a 19% spike year on year, data shows.
Despite the geopolitical challenges, India's export sector has remained resilient through 2026, industry participants also claim.
"Our exporters continue to respond to uncertainty with agility, strengthening their presence across markets and product categories," said SC Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.
"The broad-based contribution of traditional and emerging sectors adds depth to this performance," he added.
