The company owned mother vessel Maersk Djibouti made its first call on the Chennai port on March 16, 2007. With a total capacity of 5060 TEUs (twenty-feet equivalent units) it is the largest container vessel to ever call Chennai.

Speaking about the new service vice president Vishal Sharma said, "The direct service to the US East coast would reduce the transport time. This we believe offers compelling value for the cargo shippers." The reduction in the number of days in transit ranges between 2 to 7 depending on the destination ex Chennai.

Cargo out of Chennai and other south and east India locations used to be trans shipped to Colombo through feeder networks and then transported to US East coast on a direct service from Colombo. This resulted in delay of around six days and also uncertainties as to proper handling and loading at the Colombo port. However Sharma declined to comment on the savings in the freight cost for the shipper if he chooses Maersk''s direct service.

According to Sharma with the launch of direct service, the Chennai port will now turn into a transshipment hub for cargo from/to Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata, Haldia and Chittagong. The new service also gives an additional South Atlantic port coverage through Savannah, GA as a direct product. The sailing rotations on the US East coast has also been changed form North-South to South-North providing better service to key US ports with faster transit times from/to South and East India.

Queried about the demand for such a service and the carrier's probable capacity utilisation level chief executive Hans Ole Madsen, said, "Based on the demand we will decide on the ship''s size that would call on the Chennai port."

According to him, the company is looking at opportunities for making inland port investments - container freight stations and others- in Chennai.

The wholly owned subsidiary of A P Moller-Maersk group, Maersk India has over 5,500 employees in India in its 33 offices. Apart from transporting cargo, Maersk India offers logistics solutions and operates terminals at Gujarat Pipavav Port and at Nhava Sheva Port, Mumbai. The company also runs a maritime training academy near Chennai and a large business process outsourcing facility in the city.