Hamad Port will launch and add new service lines with Europe and Southeast Asia in the coming days, its director Captain Abdul Aziz al-Yafei has said.

This comes after the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) on Wednesday announced the launch of a new shipping line between Qatar and India. The new service connects Hamad Port with the Mundra and Nhava Sheva ports in India.

In a statement, al-Yafei said movement at the port is "running smoothly", explaining that the port currently operates three main lines, according to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).

Operations at Hamad Port "saw a change in the destinations of shipping lines", he said, stressing that the port can accommodate all types of goods and is able to cover the needs of the State.

With its capacity, the port, which opened in December 2015 six months ahead of schedule, has helped reduce dependency on transporting goods through the land border, he noted.

Hamad Ali al-Ansari, director of Public Relations and Communications at Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar), said a direct line with the Omani port of Salalah is expected to be inaugurated when the first cargo ship arrives today, with 500-600 refrigerated containers each with a capacity of 30,000kg.

The ports of Oman are strategic partners and direct shipping services between those and Qatar's Hamad Port will operate six times a week, or 22-24 times a month, he added.

In May, he said, Mwani Qatar received some 193 ships carrying 2,326 tonnes of gabbro and building materials, 102,800 heads of cattle and 5,700 units of cars and equipment, along with 49,400 tonnes of general cargo and 45,900 containers.

He pointed out that there were plans to receive Turkish ships in the Port of Ruwais as well as a plan to increase the number of direct lines to Hamad Port, as there are agreements with various countries such as Russia, China and others in this area.

Hamad Port operations manager Captain Omar El Khayat said the total capacity of the port is about 7.6mn containers, including 2mn containers per year in the first phase of the port's operations. The second phase will be implemented on demand.

Meanwhile, the MoTC said the new shipping line to India is called the India Qatar Express Service.

In a post on its website, the ministry noted that the vessels using the new line would reach Hamad Port every Friday and the first shipment would have 710 containers with the “readiness to receive larger shipments as needed”.

Listing the highlights and advantages of the new shipping line, the MoTC said it will involve weekly sailing, provide a direct express connection between Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Doha (Hamad Port) for local cargo and handle ICD (inland container depot) cargo via Mundra or Nhava Sheva.

The new shipping service will also accept coastal cargo from ports on the western and eastern coasts of India for transshipment at Mundra. Further, it will accept transshipment cargo from Southeast Asia and the Fareast via Mundra, the MoTC explains.

Further, the ministry said the service will include two vessels – M/V Hansa Magdeburg and M/V Hansa Duburg.

Earlier this week, Mwani Qatar had announced the launch of a new direct service between Hamad Port and Sohar Port in Oman. The service is expected to provide a boost to food imports into the country.

Hamad Port’s second phase started

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has announced the start of the implementation of the first part of Hamad Port’s second phase. The MoTC has said contracts worth QR2bn have been awarded for this part of the works, according to QNA.

Related Story