(SINGAPORE) Samudera Shipping Line is poised to expand its longer China, India and Middle East services by adding capacity and services, rather than its traditional short-sea Southeast Asia operations.

Singapore's second biggest container shipping line confirmed to Shipping Times its reported plans to expand to capture more containerised cargo from growing markets in Northern China, India and the Middle East.

The Singapore-listed feeder group planned to add more of its own services to the longer-haul routes and 'less of the short-sea shuttles', a source said.

'We just want to spread our base a bit wider, rather than just focus on Southeast Asia,' he added.

Shipping Times also understands the Indonesia-controlled Samudera is on the verge of deploying its own vessels on a new, expanded China-Southeast Asia service, replacing some of its existing slot arrangements.

Samudera currently operates one weekly China service, calling Shanghai with its own fleet, and operates other strings on slot charter agreements.

It operates three weekly services between India and Singapore, and a number in the Middle East, calling ports in Pakistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka among others.

'Volumes in the Gulf are growing. The overall trade volumes are growing, and everyone knows about the growth of China, the growth of India, but there's also the growth of the Gulf region,' the source said, adding that the growth was organic, and not linked to military activities in the region.

'Following the overall trend of container shipping, things are looking up.'

Originally a regional feeder, Southeast Asia trade still makes up more than two thirds of Samudera's volumes, while the Middle East and India made up about 30 per cent, and China and Hong Kong contribute 5 per cent.

Samudera chief executive Randy Effendi told reporters in Singapore late last week that the group intended to expand its chartered fleet by 10-15 per cent to reduce its dependence on regional trade and tap growth markets.

In a Singapore conference presentation last week, Samudera highlighted the strong growth of China and India, adding that the 'population in the two countries will amplify the growth of cargo'.

Main line carriers have also identified China and India as their strongest growing Asia markets, and most have added calls and services to both countries.

Samudera's stock has surged in recent months, along with most maritime-related listings on the Singapore exchange, buoyed by strengthening freight and volume rates industry-wide.


By BETH JINKS