Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has unveiled a new intra-Asia service that connects key Southeast Asian hubs with major container gateways on India’s west coast and in Pakistan, strengthening regional supply chain linkages across the Indian Ocean. Branded as the Southeast Asia–Indian Subcontinent Service (SIS), the new loop is scheduled to commence on 24 April 2026 and is designed to provide a direct, efficient and reliable link for shippers trading between these fast-growing markets.
According to OOCL, the SIS rotation will cover Laem Chabang, Singapore, Port Klang, Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Karachi before returning via Port Klang and Singapore to Laem Chabang. By integrating Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with India’s premier container ports and Pakistan’s key gateway, the service aims to cut transit times, reduce transhipment dependency and offer more predictable schedules for intra-Asia cargo flows. OOCL said the product is tailored to support customers moving consumer goods, industrial inputs, textiles, electronics and agro-based cargoes within the region, where trade volumes continue to expand on the back of manufacturing shifts and deepening regional integration.
The carrier highlighted that SIS will enhance connectivity to Nhava Sheva and Mundra, which serve large swathes of North, West and Central India, while also improving direct access to Karachi for both importers and exporters. For Indian and Pakistani shippers, the new loop creates additional options for sourcing from and distributing to Southeast Asian production centres without relying solely on longer-haul mainline services or multiple transhipment moves. This is expected to benefit time-sensitive and higher-value cargo segments that require shorter lead times and stable weekly frequencies.
OOCL’s latest move builds on its broader strategy of expanding its intra-Asia footprint and refining its network around the Indian subcontinent. In recent years, the line has introduced dedicated services such as the China–India and China–Pakistan loops, as well as enhanced Far East–Chennai connections, to capture rising trade between China, Southeast Asia, India and Pakistan. The SIS service complements these offerings by adding a focused Southeast Asia–India–Pakistan corridor, giving customers a more comprehensive menu of routings and frequencies across the region.
From a maritime logistics standpoint, the launch of SIS underlines how carriers are recalibrating intra-Asia networks to align with evolving sourcing patterns and nearshoring trends. As manufacturers diversify production bases across ASEAN and the Indian subcontinent, demand is growing for dense, resilient regional shipping webs that can support shorter, high-frequency moves alongside traditional deepsea trades. OOCL’s new intra-Asia service linking India and Pakistan with Southeast Asia fits squarely into this shift, offering shippers additional capacity, more direct port pairings and a strengthened platform for regional trade growth.
