Milaha launches feeder service between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Monday, 27 November 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Doha, Qatar: Milaha, a Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics conglomerate, has announced the launch of a direct feeder service between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Colombo and Chittagong will be the 7th and 8th new ports of call for Milaha this year, and are part of the significant service expansion since the beginning of 2017.

The new service, called BCX, will be operated via two vessels of effective capacity 1,200 TEUs, and will start in the second half of November, following a Colombo-Chittagong-Colombo rotation with a transit time of five days. The service will cater to the general consumer goods and garments industry in Bangladesh, a high growth market.

Commenting on the launch of the new service, Milaha President and CEO Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai said: “We have seen a great response to the direct and fast services that we launched between Qatar and some key South Asian markets earlier this year, and this has encouraged us to continue our strategic expansion into new markets. We believe the BCX service will strongly enhance connectivity to one of the fastest-growing markets in South Asia.”

Milaha continues to build its international presence and diverse portfolio of marine and logistics services. The company recently expanded into several new shipping routes and accelerated deployment of new supply chain solutions across a number of countries. Milaha currently calls two ports in Oman (Sohar and Salalah), three ports in India (NhavaSheva, Mundra, and Kandla), one port in Pakistan (Karachi), and one port in Kuwait (Shuwaikh), and offering enhanced connectivity and transit times between the Arabian Gulf region and the Indian Subcontinent.

The company was established in July 1957 as the first public shareholding company registered in Qatar and holds commercial registration no. 1. Milaha’s current activities include marine transportation in gas, petroleum products, containers and bulk; offshore support services; port management and operations; logistics services; shipyard; trading agencies; real estate investments; and asset management.

The legal entity, Qatar Navigation Q.P.S.C. (QNNS), is publicly listed on the Qatar Exchange.