Exporters using the Port of Virginia now have a new route to access the expanding Indian Subcontinent market through a standalone vessel service, with Virginia as its final port of call on the United States East Coast.
The service, named the WIN (West India North America) service and operated by Ocean Network Express (ONE), recently commenced operations with its inaugural call at the Port of Virginia on 23 June.
Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, emphasized that this new service provides exporters using the port with a direct route to the expanding markets of western India and Pakistan.
“This is an important development because it gives exporters quicker access to the Indian Subcontinent, which is an up-and-coming market and an area that holds a lot of trade potential. There is a lot of interest and growing cargo volumes in this trade lane. This is an excellent opportunity for exporters of agricultural products, like cotton and grain, to quickly get their products to this area of the world,” stated Edwards.
Additionally, the WIN service includes space allocated to ocean carrier HMM, operating under the IAX (India America Express) service. Importantly for exporters, the last-out vessel calls from Virginia mean that cargo loads directly onto the ship, bypassing additional stops at other East Coast ports.
The port rotation for this service moves east-to-west, starting at the Port of Virginia, followed by ports including Bin Qasim in Pakistan, and several ports along India’s west coast such as Mundra, Hazira, and Nhava Sheva.
Edwards highlighted that this presents a significant opportunity for exporters to leverage the port’s growing infrastructure and its rail connection with Memphis, a crucial logistics hub in the Southeast where a substantial volume of agricultural exports originate.
“We’re building America’s Most Modern Gateway and that means working with our customers and rail partners to identify emerging markets and then creating a connection to them. Deep, wide channels that can accommodate the biggest ships in the Atlantic trade, an expanding rail capability, modern terminals and overall efficiency are positioning The Port of Virginia for long-term success. We are telling our customers, cargo owners and logistics companies that your needs are not going to outgrow our capabilities,” commented Edwards.
