Maersk recently flagged off a weekly reefer rail service connecting Hyderabad’s pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster to Nhava Sheva port. Developed in partnership with CONCOR (Container Corporation of India), the service addresses the industry’s need for a temperature-controlled and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mode of transport compared to road transport.
The service is designed for Hyderabad’s pharmaceutical exporters and operates on a fixed weekly schedule, transporting 40-foot refrigerated containers (reefers). Pre-trip inspection (PTI) compliance and container selection aligned with quality requirements are included in every shipment.
The Hyderabad–Nhava Sheva reefer rail corridor operates as an end-to-end cold chain service. Under a single-window arrangement, Maersk is responsible for inland rail, ocean freight, and shipment visibility throughout the journey.
The service is designed for export routes, including North America’s East Coast ports (Newark, Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah), Latin America, Europe and other reefer trade destinations. Maersk will also provide pharmaceutical exporters with documentation support, compliance assistance, cold-chain advisory services and, if required, last-mile trucking at the destination.
Thomas Theeuwes, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said in a statement, “India is central to Maersk’s global growth ambitions, and we are committed to building logistics infrastructure that meets the evolving needs of the Indian industry. The pharmaceutical sector demands that cargo be moved with precision, reliability, and accountability at every step of the supply chain. This rail service is our answer to that demand.”
The scheduled rail service will provide vessel loading reliability, dedicated equipment allocation and priority handling. This differs from road transport, which can face variability due to factors such as traffic conditions, driver fatigue and compliance-related stoppage delays.
Based on current volume projections, the shift from road to rail is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 3,000 tonnes over one year.
Sanjay Swarup, CMD CONCOR, said, “CONCOR is committed to enabling the growth of the Indian industry through world-class logistics infrastructure. Our collaboration with Maersk on this dedicated reefer rail corridor from Hyderabad reflects the confidence in rail as a reliable and efficient mode of transport for high-value, sensitive cargo. This is a significant step in strengthening India’s pharmaceutical export competitiveness, and we look forward to scaling this model further in partnership with industry.”
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