Starting in September, this new ten-day service,
operated by Folk Maritime Services, a subsidiary of the Kingdom’s
Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The service will strengthen trade ties by facilitating the movement of
consumer cargo from India, and products from the Kingdom, including
petrochemicals. It will see the
deployment of an 1,800 TEU vessel from Folk Maritime. In addition to deploying
its vessel, Folk Maritime has also signed a Vessel Sharing
Agreement (VSA) with Oman’s Asayd,
which will also deploy a vessel for the new route.
According to a company statement, the new route
represents the growth in ‘friend-sourcing’ between Saudi Arabia and India and
builds on the strong bilateral ties between the two countries.
Poul Hestbaek, CEO of Folk
Maritime, highlighted that this new
service will further enhance bilateral trade between the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and India.
“It will also contribute to the goals of Saudi
Vision 2030 to establish the Kingdom as a global logistics hub by enhancing
connectivity and maritime sector growth,” he added.
Folk Maritime’s Chief
Commercial Officer, Saleem Kadernani, lauds the new service as an exciting development,
offering sustainable solutions for both new and existing customers.