Wan Hai Lines announces CI8 service, connecting Vietnam, South China, Malaysia, and Western India, starting late November 2026.
Wan Hai Lines issued an official notice on 29 October, announcing the launch of a new service designated CI8 (China India Service 8).
Deploying vessels in the 2,800-3,000 TEU range, the service operates on a 35-day rotation and is scheduled to commence in late November 2026. CI8 is designed to connect Vietnam, South China, Malaysia, and the West India market, integrating into Wan Hai's existing intra-Asia network to strengthen cargo connectivity between the Far East and Western India. Against a backdrop of sustained capacity investment by multiple carriers on India lanes, CI8's port rotation carries a distinctive characteristic: rather than anchoring its first loading port in South China, the service originates from Vietnam's Haiphong - a deliberate signal of the carrier's strategic commitment to cargo origination across northern Vietnam and the Beibu Gulf region.
The CI8 port rotation is structured as follows: Haiphong - Qinzhou - Nansha - Shekou - Port Klang North - Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Port Klang North - Haiphong. Vessels depart from Haiphong in northern Vietnam, proceed into the Beibu Gulf to call Qinzhou, before continuing to Nansha and Shekou, transiting Port Klang North en route to Mundra and Nhava Sheva in India, and returning via Port Klang North to Haiphong. This configuration positions northern Vietnam and Guangxi as the primary cargo origination zones for direct India coverage. For freight forwarders engaged in southwest-origin export trade and China-Vietnam cross-border consolidation, the routing enables cargo to load directly onto a deep-sea service, reducing the inland transit segment otherwise required to reach a South China transshipment hub. The precise time and cost savings will vary by shipment and must be assessed against the specific cost profile of each cargo routing.
Port Klang North appears twice in the rotation - once on the outbound leg and once on the return - though the official notice does not specify the operational purpose of each call beyond describing it as serving the Malaysian market. From a service-design perspective, the dual call likely preserves transshipment capacity for regional cargo connecting to the India lane, while also supporting load factor optimisation on both legs. On the Indian side, Mundra, situated in Gujarat, has traditionally served the northwest Indian interior and connects to hinterland markets including Delhi through established inland distribution systems; Nhava Sheva functions as the gateway port for Mumbai. The direct dual-port call allows shippers to select their discharge port based on final delivery destination, offering an alternative cost-reduction path beyond the conventional model of a single port call supplemented by inland transport - a structure of particular relevance to consignees in northwest India and the Greater Mumbai region.
The official notice does not disclose sailing frequency, the number of vessels assigned to the service, the acceptance scope for hazardous cargo or reefer containers, or the free detention periods and surcharge structures applicable at each port of call. Freight forwarders evaluating CI8 are advised to confirm these operational parameters with Wan Hai's local representatives and to verify actual sailing schedules, space availability, and destination port handling efficiency following the inaugural voyage before committing cargo. For shipments originating in northern Vietnam, Guangxi, and South China bound for India, CI8 warrants inclusion in the existing routing matrix for comparative analysis across transshipment count, transit time, and total landed cost. As multiple carriers continue to deepen their India service commitments, the expanding range of routing options affords forwarders greater leverage in rate negotiation and space allocation - though all final routing decisions should remain anchored to confirmed carrier schedules and operationally verified service data.
