Emirates Shipping Line and T S Lines plan to partner on two new shipping services linking the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East to East Africa in the near future.

A total of six 1,100-TEU vessels will be deployed on the new services which have been named, the Gulf Indian-Subcontinent Africa Service (GIA) and the Africa Far-east Asia Service (AFA). TS Line will operate one of the ships, while the rest will be provided by Emirates Shipping Line.

Emirates said in a statement that the two new services are part of the company's overall strategy to target high growth areas in East Africa, and better respond to the needs of its customer base by offering faster transit times.

"These two new services signify a further commitment form Emirates Shipping Line as it expands its service portfolio to better serve our customer needs," said Vikas Khan, chairman and CEO of Emirates Shipping Line.

The port rotation for the scheduled weekly GIA service offered by Emirates Shipping Line will be: Nhava Sheva, Karachi, Jebel Ali, Mombasa, Dar Es Salaam, Mombassa, and back to Nhava Sheva.

The AFA service will connect China and southeast Asia to the two major ports in East Africa on the following port rotation: Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang, Colombo, Dar Es Salaam, Mombasa.