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Mar 02, 2011 (LBO) - Thailand's Regional Container Lines (RCL) has started a new Asian container shipping service that will make two weekly calls at Colombo port to cater to growing demand, a statement said. RCL is a Thai-based container shipping line listed on the Thai Stock Exchange and currently owns and operates a fleet of 43 vessels ranging in size between 500 TEUs (Twenty foot Equivalent Units or containers) to 2,732 TEUs. The new RPI (RCL Pakistan India) westbound service will call Colombo every Tuesday en route to Nhava Sheva in Mumbai, India and Karachi, in Pakistan on a fixed day service.

The eastbound service will call Colombo every Friday en route to Malaysia's Port Klang and Singapore also on a fixed day service. Both Colombo calls will be at the state-owned Jaya Container Terminal.

RCL, represented in Sri Lanka by Delmege Forsyth & Co. (Shipping), had one service previously, RKI (RCL Korea India) with eastbound service calls Colombo every Sunday en route to Port Klang, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai and Ningbo in China.

"With these three weekly services calling Colombo, RCL will be accepting import and export cargos from and to all ports of Australia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Ch