Milaha launches new Black Sea feeder service

Milaha, the Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics conglomerate, has launched Black Sea Express Service (BSX), a direct container feeder route linking Greece, Turkey, Georgia and Russia.The new feeder service marks Milaha’s first European service linking the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The BSX demonstrates Milaha’s commitment to deliver reliable and agile services to its customers and partners globally.The BSX rotation is Piraeus (Greece), Kumport (Istanbul), Poti (Georgia), Novorossiysk (Russia), Piraeus (Greece), and will initially be served by two vessels with a 1,700 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) capacity and 300 reefer plugs.The new service will cater to Russian and Turkish regional trade, while also linking Greece with multiple locations in the Black Sea region, further enhancing Milaha’s portfolio of international maritime and logistics services.Milaha president and Chief Executive Abdulrahman Essa al-Mannai said the introduction of the BSX reflects the company’s success in expanding its coverage into new markets, amid a rising demand for its services."This latest addition to our feeder services will complement our existing coverage in the Black Sea region and expand our reach to the Mediterranean Sea. This offers more flexibility to our customers through greater port coverage, increased reliability and reduced transit times,“ he said.The addition of the BSX will further cement Milaha’s position as an international service provider and reflect the company’s operational excellence by combining reliability and agility to meet customer demand in the region and beyond.Milaha currently calls 12 ports directly and serves more than 20 ports via its Liner services in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, South East Asia and Europe. Its comprehensive logistics network includes over 1,000 representative offices in more than 100 counties, offering customers a truly global service.In November last year, QTerminals, jointly established by Mwani Qatar (51%) and Milaha (49%), disclosed its intention to scout for opportunities in the Black Sea region as part of strategy to expand internationally.The recently established operator of the first phase of Hamad Port in Qatar has already zeroed in on two to three projects and the initial due diligence has been undertaken, according to its chief executive Neville Bissett.The Black Sea, which lies between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, has an area of 168,500 square miles (excluding the Sea of Azov, a length of 730 miles) and a depth of 7,257ft.