Maersk reports 43% growth in containerised rail export cargo in 2021

NEW DELHI: Global container logistics major Maersk India on Tuesday said it has posted 43 per cent growth in the movement of containerised export cargo on the rail in 2021.

It has also launched 13 new weekly dedicated rail services during the period, the company added.

These services were designed in such a way that different industrial verticals were to be connected to the port, and some of them were based on the ‘assured transit’ concept on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC), Maersk India said.

Besides delivering speed, the services also provided hinterland connectivity and predictability to customers’ supply chains in the uncertainty of the disrupted logistics ecosystem, it said.

Maersk witnessed 43 per cent growth in the movement of containerised export cargo on the rail in 2021 and 23 per cent growth on the rail for import and export combined, the company said.

As Maersk started developing customised solutions for customers rather than offering them off-the-shelf options, deeper insights into customers’ needs and challenges started unfolding, the company said.

Using this data, Maersk developed 13 new weekly dedicated rail services of which some were based on the ‘assured transit’ concept on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC), it added.

Unlocking the potential of rail solutions to move cargo during the toughest times of the pandemic has been hugely satisfying. To be able to play a role in developing tailor-made solutions for customers, which ultimately helped the traders in the country connect to the global market was even more gratifying, said Akshyat Bhatia, Head of Landside Transportation, Maersk South Asia.

Maersk said it plans to develop further on the foundation of the rail solutions in 2022.

Rail has always been considered as a second alternative to road transport despite being safer and faster. Last year, we have created 273 new corridors with rail as the backbone and connected our customers on this highly efficient mode of logistics all the way to their hubs of convenience, said Jyoti Mitter, Rail Product Manager, Maersk South Asia.

Having carried more than 50,000 containers (twenty feet equivalent units / TEUs) over and above the previous year and having covered 1,50,000 km, Maersk is confident of building on this solution in the coming years too, Mitter added.

Noting that the global logistics ecosystem has been disrupted from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said the restrictions brought about by the pandemic affected manufacturing as well as the movement of cargo.

At such a time, the logistics suppliers kept the wheels spinning for economies to stay on track as much as possible, the company said, adding Maersk had all its vessels sailing, warehouses functioning, and ports operating.

At the same time, to create integrated solutions for customers that go end-to-end, teams within Maersk started focusing on understanding customer requirements and designing tailor-made solutions.

E-commerce, which has traditionally run on-road transit, is expected to move towards rail even more shortly as it gives assured transit for time-sensitive cargo, it stated.

Being committed to connecting and simplifying our customers’ supply chains meant we had to go beyond solutions that are on the menu card. We wanted to create exciting offerings that would delight our customers, especially in the tough pandemic situation that we have been operating in, said Vikash Agarwal, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia.

Source: Press Trust of India

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