The India–East Africa trade lane is set for a significant increase in scheduled container capacity this month, as six Asian carriers prepare to launch two new weekly services connecting western India with the major East African gateways of Mombasa, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The network involves PIL, HMM, COSCO SHIPPING, Interasia Lines, OOCL and ONE, with the two services linking JNPA (Nhava Sheva) and Mundra in India to the two East African ports. The first departures from JNPA are scheduled for September 23 and September 27.
The new dual-string network, identified as GIA1 and GIA2, is expected to deploy vessels in the 2,300–2,800 TEU range, with eight vessels assigned to each service according to trade sources cited by The Loadstar. The move follows a series of carrier announcements expanding direct India–East Africa connectivity. HMM’s GIA service is scheduled to commence from Nhava Sheva on September 23, while ONE has separately announced weekly Mombasa and Dar es Salaam services beginning in the same period. PIL has also announced its Imara Express (IMX) service, with its first sailing from Nhava Sheva scheduled for September 23.
For shippers, the development adds another layer of scheduled ocean-freight connectivity between the Indian subcontinent and East Africa. Nhava Sheva and Mundra will serve as the Indian gateways, while Mombasa and Dar es Salaam provide access to the East African market. As carriers expand their networks across this corridor, schedule visibility, booking coordination and accurate freight documentation become increasingly important for companies managing cross-border cargo. For logistics teams looking to streamline document-heavy workflows alongside freight operations, FreightGraph AutoFill can support the conversion of incoming freight documents and information into structured digital data.