ILA extends service offering from India

Groupage operator International Liner Agencies (ILA) has introduced several new inland ports to its service offering from India, adding flexibility on this growing trade lane. The launch of the new hinterland destinations in Ludhiana (Punjab), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Indore (Central India) and Kanpur (North India), coincided with a visit to South Africa by Samir Parekh, managing director of ILA’s long-time Indian agent International Liner Shipping Agency (ILSA), improving accessibility of cargo from these markets.. ILSA’s groupage services are focused on East and South Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands while its FCL offering covers the Arabian Gulf, Africa, Europe, Red Sea and Colombo. Regular visits by overseas partners are vital to ILA’s strategy, says national sales and marketing director Raymond Cutts. “It’s important that our agents understand the changing face of the market in South Africa and that our customers appreciate at first hand the issues in India. “For example, historically carriers have run direct services into Durban,” says Cutts. “They’ve now changed their routing which means that our service offering had to be adjusted.” ILA is committed to a weekly sailing from Nava Sheva and Delhi and is now running direct containers into Cape Town which used to be a seasonal arrangement, he added. “The weekly Cape Town option was launched in April this year and we’re finding growing support for this direct service,” said Cutts. While port congestion, delays by suppliers, weather conditions and the like all impact the flow of cargo at source in India, infrastructure shortfalls and inefficiency by both port and rail are the challenges faced in South Africa. But Cutts believes that challenges create opportunity and it’s ILA’s ability to deal with these challenges that makes the difference in a highly competitive market, he told FTW. “Information is vital,” says Parekh, “We provide accurate, up-to-date reports from the moment the booking is made, through transhipment in Colombo and onward transportation to South Africa.” “We push information continually so that if there is a problem, alternative arrangements can be made to mitigate any further delays,” says Cutts. According to both Parekh and Cutts, volumes from India are on an upward trajectory, with a slightly delayed peak season having just kicked in. “With our aggressive sales strategy in place, we are upbeat about continued growth on the route,” said Parekh. CAPTION 'Several new hinterland designations introduced.'