SEOUL : HMM announced that it will launch a new Gulf-India-East Africa (GIEA) Service, a regular container service linking India and East Africa, starting in September. GIEA is the second Africa feeder network under the container institutional sector “hub and spoke” strategy pursued since President Choi Won-hyuk took office. It is structured to connect East Africa with Nhava Sheva and Mundra, hubs where cargo from India and Central Asia consolidates.
The first sailing will begin in the fourth week of September from Nhava Sheva, India. Five 2,800-TEU container ships will be deployed, calling Nhava Sheva (India)→Mundra (India)→Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)→Mombasa (Kenya) in order. It will operate jointly with China COSCO, Singapore PIL, and Taiwan Interasia Lines. HMM plans to expand port calls to the Middle East afterward.
HMM has been operating the MA2 route for North and West Africa centered on Algeciras, Spain. With the addition of this East Africa route, it has established a network covering the entire African continent, laying the groundwork for mid- to long-term network expansion.
Kenya and Tanzania, the new port calls, are key gateways to East Africa where port infrastructure and inland logistics development are active. HMM aims to use this route as a springboard to attract new East Africa shippers with high growth potential.
HMM has a mid- to long-term plan to expand its container fleet to 1.47 million TEUs and 166 ships by 2030 and invest a total of 29 trillion won.
