Hai An extends CVI service to Tuticorin with 1,781 TEU HAIAN ALFA

Hai An's fortnightly CVI service made its inaugural call at Tuticorin on 7 November 2026, when the 1,781 TEU Vietnamese-flagged containership HAIAN ALFA berthed at Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal (DBGT) and worked 823 TEU in a single visit.

The call extends the carrier's regional network into India's southern manufacturing corridor, according to the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOCPA), which confirmed the fortnightly rotation linking Tuticorin with Chennai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Qinzhou and Port Klang.

What moved on the maiden call?

The cargo split underlines what the new call is really about: Vietnam–India factory supply chains. Of the 823 TEU handled at DBGT, 723 TEU were imports — cargo the terminal operator associated primarily with Vietnamese automaker VinFast. The remaining 100 TEU were transshipment boxes destined for Colombo.

That import-heavy first call is a concrete signal. VinFast's components flow into southern India in volume, and Hai An is now positioned to capture it directly at Tuticorin rather than via mainland transshipment further north. For southern Indian importers and exporters, the service adds container connections not just to Vietnam but to the wider Asian market through Port Klang and Qinzhou on the same loop.

What are the transit times?

The expanded CVI service offers scheduled transit times of approximately seven days from Tuticorin to Ho Chi Minh City and ten days to Hai Phong, VOCPA said. Chennai sits on the rotation, giving shippers a domestic leg within the same fortnightly cycle.

Seven days to Ho Chi Minh City is competitive for a direct regional call, and shippers moving automotive components, textiles or electronics inputs between the Tamil Nadu industrial belt and northern Vietnam now have a scheduled alternative that bypasses extra feeder legs. Fortnightly frequency, though, means capacity is limited — roughly one sailing every two weeks per direction — so volume shippers will need to plan slots accordingly or split cargoes across carriers.

The vessel and the terminal

HAIAN ALFA, Vietnamese-flagged, measures 171.9 metres in length and 28.4 metres in beam — a mid-size feeder appropriate for the draft and berth profile of a regional gateway like DBGT. The terminal operator confirmed the maiden call and highlighted the additional connectivity the expanded service brings to V.O. Chidambaranar Port.

For DBGT, the Hai An call strengthens its role in supporting international container services at Tuticorin. Every additional line call deepens the terminal's usefulness as a mainline alternative for southern Tamil Nadu cargo that might otherwise truck north to Chennai or move via Colombo transshipment — a cost and time saving measured in days.

Why it matters for shippers

The commercial read is straightforward. Southern Indian shippers gain a fortnightly direct link to two Vietnamese hubs plus Port Klang and Qinzhou, with a Colombo transshipment option built into the loop's own cargo mix, as the 100 TEU bound for Colombo on the first call demonstrated. Hai An, for its part, extends its regional network westward into one of Asia's fastest-growing import markets, anchored from day one by VinFast volumes.

Whether the fortnightly frequency holds will depend on how quickly southbound Indian exports — typically garments, agri-products and engineering goods — fill the return legs. If the Vietnam–India trade keeps growing at its recent pace, a weekly upgrade and larger tonnage on the rotation would be the logical next step.