Maersk has launched a dedicated weekly reefer rail service connecting Hyderabad’s pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster with Nhava Sheva port in India. Developed with Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), the service is designed to provide pharmaceutical exporters with predictable, temperature-controlled logistics and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared with road transport.
The corridor operates on a fixed weekly schedule using 40-foot refrigerated containers. Each shipment includes pre-trip inspection compliance and quality-aligned container selection. Maersk said several pharmaceutical manufacturers in Hyderabad are already using the service, with additional customers being onboarded.
The Hyderabad–Nhava Sheva corridor is structured as an end-to-end cold chain. Under a single-window arrangement, Maersk covers inland rail, ocean freight and shipment visibility throughout the journey. The service supports export lanes to North America’s East Coast ports, including Newark, Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah, as well as Latin America, Europe and other reefer destinations.
Maersk said it will also support pharmaceutical exporters with documentation, compliance assistance, cold-chain advisory engagement and, where required, last-mile trucking at the destination. The company estimates that the shift from road to rail will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 3,000 tonnes over one year, based on current volume projections.
“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,” said Thomas Theeuwes, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia.
“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,” said Sanjay Swarup, CMD CONCOR.
