APM Terminals-operated Pipavav Port’s efforts to grow container volumes received a big push earlier this week when the INDFEX, or India-Far East Express, consortium introduced a regular weekly call at the minor facility on India’s west coast.

The intra-Asia INDFEX is a vessel-sharing agreement between Wan Hai Lines, “K” Line, Shipping Corporation of India, Pacific International Lines and Simatech Shipping. The service employs a fleet of six vessels, with Wan Hai providing two vessels and the other four partners contributing one ship each.

The Pipavav call began with the March 14 arrival of the Wanhai, voyage 509, APMT Pipavav told JOC.com.

The INDFEX has the following port rotation: Shanghai and Ningbo, China; Hong Kong; Singapore; Port Klang North, Malaysia; Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) and Pipavav, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Singapore; and back to Shanghai.

“The efficient port operations, service capabilities, excellent connectivity to the rich hinterlands in the North and West regions of India via rail and road from the port and being a part of the global APM Terminals portfolio provide confidence and reliability to our customers,” the company said.

“This is a step towards our journey to be the ‘port of choice’ for all container, bulk and liquid cargo as well as roll-on, roll-off vessels coming into and going from West India,” APMT Pipavav Managing Director Keld Pedersen said in a statement.

The new call comes on the heels of Pipavav, India’s first public-private port venture, unveiling a plan to add three new harbor cranes aimed at expanding its capacity to 1.35 million 20-foot-equivalent units annually.  

The Pipavav container terminal comprises two berths with 2,411 feet of quay, a draft of 48 feet, 26 acres of yard space, three quay cranes, 18 rubber-tire gantry cranes and three rail-mounted quay cranes, currently providing an annual capacity of 850,000 TEUs. Port statistics collected by JOC.com show Pipavav handled 178,000 TEUs in the third fiscal quarter through the end of December.

Pipavav is about 152 nautical miles from JNPT. The private port last year set up a dedicated ro-ro terminal jointly with NYK Auto Logistics (India) to ramp up its finished car exports. The 85,000-square-foot common user site is capable of handling 250,000 vehicle units per year