AAL Shipping (AAL) has appointed Mumbai-based shipping company Merchant Shipping Services PVT Ltd. to be its exclusive commercial agency representative in India.

In a statement, AAL said the move will further boost the cargo opportunities available to local shippers through its expanding 'Europe – Middle East/India – Asia Monthly Liner Service’ (EUMEIA) and regular trade lanes connecting India with the rest of the world. 

Growing project cargo demand

Christophe Grammare, AAL's managing director, said the move is backed by the strong economic growth and opportunities in India for project cargo.

"India is one of the world's fastest-growing major economies and leads the way with 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) allowance in multiple industry sectors. It is on an accelerated growth trajectory with 100 smart cities being built today, 100 new airports by 2035 and the implementation of the world's largest renewable energy expansion program," Grammare said.

"Its burgeoning project cargo demands are well served by our EUMEIA monthly liner service, trade lane sailings east and westbound through the region, and sustainable fleet expansion programme that combine to deliver the market with the regularity of sailings and dependability of service," the AAL executive added.

Grammare also noted the "excellent shipping pedigree" of Merchant Shipping that would help AAL in its India plans.

"Merchant Shipping ... knows the local sector we serve and its primary stakeholders well, and is aligned with AAL's commercial ambitions for the Indian market. We are looking forward to highly successful cooperation," he said.

Mukesh Oza, group president & CEO of the Samsara Group, India – the parent company of Merchant Shipping – expressed his gratitude to AAL's Management for the partnership.

"We are honoured to represent AAL in India through a dedicated professional team at Merchant Shipping that will effectively contribute to AAL's success as a prominent partner in India's booming economy and exponential growth within the infrastructure and project cargo sectors," Oza said.

Established in 1996, Merchant Shipping is focused on global trade, delivering pan-India multipurpose and project heavy lift cargo operations through a network of offices covering over 80 port and ICD locations across the region.