Maersk Line's MECL2 service that serves the trade between India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the US east coast has started calling at the port of Savannah, Georgia.

"We are very pleased to increase Savannah's trade with India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean through the Maersk MECL2 service," said Doug Marchand, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA). "We appreciate Maersk Line's confidence in the GPA's facilities and services by selecting Savannah as the MECL2 service's first port of call on the US east coast."

Including the MECL2 service, Maersk Line now has five services calling at Savannah.

The port rotation for the MECL2 is: Chennai (Madras), Colombo, Salalah, Jeddah, Algeciras, Savannah, Norfolk, Newark, Algeciras and Gioia Tauro.

The port of Chennai is acting as a transshipment hub on the service for cargo to and from Visakhapatnam, Calcutta/Haldai, and Bangladesh.

A total of eight ships ranging in capacity between 4,000 and 5,000 TEU will be deployed on the service, a GPA statement said.