APL launched a new East Africa Express (EAX) service. The weekly EAX service will connect the Indian subcontinent and Arabian Gulf to East Africa. Trade from the Far East bound for
East Africa will depart from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Nhava Sheva in India. The port at Nhava Sheva will also serve cargoes originating from the Indian subcontinent and Arabian Gulf, alongside ports in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
Jason Wong, APL’s Vice President, Intra-Asia, Middle East & Australia Trade, said: “Africa is an expanding economy which continues to report impressive GDP growth, averaging about 5% annually in the past six years. In East Africa, economic growth is projected to accelerate to around 6% in 2007 and 2008. To leverage on the region’s strong growth potential, APL is extending its footprint into East Africa to provide customers with consistently high-quality transportation services.”
The EAX port rotation is: Colombo (Sri Lanka) – Dar Es Salamm (Tanzania) – Mombassa (Kenya) – Nhava Sheva (India) – Port Qasim (Pakistan) – Jebel Ali (UAE) – Mombassa (Kenya) – Dar Es Salamm (Tanzania) – Colombo (Sri Lanka).