MISC extends its Halal Express Service 1

MISC Berhad, Malaysia’s national shipping line, has extended its Halal Express Service 1 (HE1) to Port Pipavav.

The inclusion of Port Pipavav in the service is expected to provide shippers in the Gujarat region a direct service to China and South-East Asian ports. The service will also facilitate exports from Northern ICDs like Delhi, Ludhiana and Jaipur a direct and fast connectivity to South-East Asia, Exim News Service reports.

This is an independent service of MISC. Six 4,250-TEU capacity vessels have been deployed providing the trade a weekly service in the following rotation: Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Jakarta, Singapore, Tanjung Pelapas, Port Klang, Karachi, Jebel Ali, Bandar Abbas, Pipavav, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Port Klang, Singapore, Shanghai.

The Halal Express service was first launched in November 2006 and following the tremendous response from the trade, the service was upgraded with bigger vessels in April this year.
To commemorate the maiden call of the service at Port Pipavav, a small function was held on board the vessel Bunga Raya Tiga voy 104E which was attended by senior personnel from Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd (GPPL) and Crescent Shipping Agency (India) Ltd, besides the Master and senior officers of the vessel. The traditional lamp was lit and plaques were exchanged in keeping with the age-old tradition of the sea. The vessel arrived at night on September 30 and sailed off in the early hours of October 1.

Mr Prakash Tulsiani, Managing Director of GPPL, in his address thanked MISC for its commitment to Port Pipavav, and stressed that it would extend all possible assistance to make this venture a success.

In a message, Mr Baharuddin Arbak, Vice-President of the Liner Business Unit of MISC, said, "To mark the occasion of the first call of MISC’s Halal Express Service 1 (HE1) to Pipavav, I would like to thank the Indian trade for its support towards MISC over the last 10 years. The inclusion of Pipavav as a port of call in our HE1 proves our continuous support and reaffirms our commitment towards the Indian trade. I also wish to extend my thanks and appreciation to the management of Pipavav Terminals and our agent, Crescent Shipping, for their assistance in making this possible. MISC also looks forward to the support from the Indian shipping community in making our Halal service a success."

MISC is represented in India by Crescent Shipping Agency (India) Ltd, which is part of the Transworld Group of companies.

(Source: Transport Weekly)