KARACHI, May 29: Emirates Karan, the first vessel of Emirates Shipping Company, called on Wednesday at Port Qasim to mark the launching of a direct weekly service from the sub-continent to the Middle East and Africa.

According to a press release the Emirates Shipping Line announced the launch of two new services — The Gulf Indian sub-continent Africa Service (GIA) and the Africa Far East Asia Service (AFA).

The vessel Emirates Karan’s arrival at Port Qasim on Wednesday is a part of GIA

service that has a port rotation of Nhava Sheva, Karachi, Jabel Ali, Mombassa, Dar-es-Salam, Mombassa, and Nhava Sheva.

Adnan Ahmad, the chief executive of the shipping agency in Pakistan said that this was a weekly service, which would provide access to the importers and exporters to the expanding non-traditional markets.

Six vessels of 1,100 TEUs capacity are being employed to make the service operationally effective, the press release said.