Abu Dhabi Terminals (ADT), the manager and operator of Abu Dhabi's four main commercial ports, announced that it has reached an agreement with a consortium of shipping companies to start a direct service to facilitate trade between Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port and the ports of Mundra and Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) on the west coast of India.

According to ADT, the services provided by OEL (Orient Express Lines), Simatech and X-Press Feeders, will further strengthen the market profile of Khalifa Port Container Terminal, and ensure Abu Dhabi's importers and exporters as well as transhipment customers receive fast and direct connectivity to two of the largest import/export hubs in India.

The weekly, fixed-day service, known as the IGI service, links the Arabian Peninsula to India and will add Abu Dhabi to its schedule when it calls at Khalifa Port Container Terminal (KPCT) around 27 February.