Singapore-headquartered American President Lines (APL) is launching the India Pakistan Express 2 (IP2) service, a new weekly container transport operation that will directly connect ports in India and the Middle East with five major North European gateways.Designed to strengthen APL’s presence in the fast-growing Subcontinent market, the new IP2 service in particular promises enhanced connections between India and Germany through its direct call into the port of Hamburg. The service also offers shippers an additional route into and out of the United Kingdom, via London Gateway, complementing market access via Southampton and Felixstowe through APL’s existing India Pakistan Express (IPE) service.Included in IP2’s port rotation are strategically important calls into the Middle East transshipment hubs of Jeddah and Jebel Ali. These will allow shippers in the Gulf and Red Sea regions to tap into APL’s global network through relay services.In addition to ocean transportation, shippers on the IP2 service are being offered outbound land cargo transportation from India. These will be delivered through a network of inland container depots located across the country before heading for the ports of Mundra and Nhava Sheva.The IP2 service will commence sailing from Jebel Ali on 1st April. Other ports included in the rotation are: Karachi, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Jeddah, Rotterdam, Hamburg, London Gateway, Antwerp and Le Havre.