Maersk, the Danish shipping company, is intensifying its efforts in the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East to tackle issues in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. To address this, the company plans to introduce a weekly service to Chennai and a new Arabian Sea service. Additionally, a new container service connecting India, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East is set to be launched. Starting February 5, a new weekly Chennai service will commence with a rotation including Salalah, Oman; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Ennore, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Salalah, Oman.

In Colombo, Maersk will provide links to Europe through its AE7 service and to the Far East via its AE55 service. Both services encompass West Mediterranean hubs, facilitating connections to North Europe. Maersk has emphasized its commitment to maintaining capacity and enhancing reliability for supply chains amidst the ongoing challenges in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden region.

It will also introduce a new service called Arabian Sea Service. The rotation will be Salalah, Oman - Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates - Port Qasim, Pakistan – Pipavav, India - Nhava Sheva, India – Salalah, Oman. The first sailing in the service will be GSL Kalliopi, which will depart Salalah on February 9, the line said. It will introduce the new weekly services connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

The Gulf Service is set to cover the following ports: Salalah, Oman - Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates - Doha, Qatar - Dammam, Saudi Arabia - Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia - Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Duqm, Oman - Salalah, Oman. The inaugural sailing, San Clemente, is scheduled to depart from Salalah on February 5th.