OOCL opened a new office in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo January 1 to strengthen its position in the region.

The office opening follows the conclusion of OOCL's joint-venture agreement with its agent Sri Lanka Shipping Company Limited, effective from December 31.

Mr SL Chong has been appointed managing director for OOCL Lanka (Private) Limited (OSLL), which aims to offer international maritime transportation and logistics services to both domestic and international businesses.

"The OOCL Sri Lanka office is part of our extensive enhancement of the whole region," said SC Chan, managing director of the Straits and South West Asia Region of OOCL.

"The new office will also enhance our strength in linking the subcontinent and Middle East to the rest of the world."

In a separate development, the container carrier is adding a call at India's Port of Cochin to its IDX joint-shipping service that caters to the trade between the Indian subcontinent and the US east coast from January 5.

The move comes in response to increased demand for container transport service from India's fast-growing market.

The IDX's new weekly schedule is: Tuticorin, Cochin, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Barcelona, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Barcelona and Colombo for a 56-day rotation.

The IDX service will deploy eight vessels with a capacity of 2,500-2,600 TEU each, and will also provide faster transit times for cargo from Karachi relayed over Mundra.