HMM launches India‑East Africa container service

South Korean container shipping company HMM announced the launch of a new Gulf‑India‑East Africa (GIA) service, scheduled to begin in the fourth week of September 2026. The weekly rotation will run from India’s hub ports Nhava Sheva and Mundra to the East African gateway ports Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Mombasa in Kenya, using five 2,800‑TEU feeder vessels.

The service is part of HMM’s hub‑and‑spoke strategy under CEO Choi Won‑hyuk and will be jointly operated with COSCO Shipping, Pacific International Lines (PIL) and Interasia Lines. It follows HMM’s existing MA2 line that connects North and West Africa via Algeciras, expanding the carrier’s African network and aiming to improve cargo connectivity, reliability and convenience for exporters and importers amid global supply‑chain uncertainty. HMM also plans to grow its container fleet to 1.47 million TEU across 166 vessels by 2030.