The ship was MV Lahore Express, a Hong Kong flagged vessel of 260 metres length.
The vessel will make service calls to the major ports in Europe such Genoa, Tilbury, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Le Havre.

ICTT, which was launched in February this year by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was developed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by the DP World.

"This is a very proud occasion for us at DP World, as the commencement of this service from ICTT will offer the trade in this region faster transit and reduced supply chain cost enabling to emerge as one of the most important ports for the subcontinent region," said K.K. Krishnadas, CEO, DP World Cochin.

With this development, the South India trade fraternity can now connect their exports directly to Europe from ICTT on a weekly basis, with a shorter transit time besides having facilities making ICTT comparable with the best international ports.

Through this it is believed that key south Indian markets like Bangalore, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Salem will benefit hugely as this area contributes hugely in the country’s trade volume.

With this facility, exporters and importers here will no longer have to rely on transhipment facility, which was an expensive affair.