The UK-based Swire Group, which owns the Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific, has now made India a regional hub for its shipping operations in South Asia and West Asia.

The company earlier took over the German container shipping services- Oldendorff Indotrans. It was renamed Indotrans, after its acquisition through China Navigation Company Ltd (CNCL)- the liner subsidiary of London-based John Swire & Sons.

CNCL opened its regional office in Mumbai on February 17, and will handle the Indotrans’ first 25-day voyage from Nhava Sheva-US east coast service.

Managing Director of South Asia and Middle East, Mr. Menon said, CNCL is continuing its operations through various independent liner agencies and Indotrans’ operations would continue to be managed by Forbes Patwalk.

The Oldendorff sale included four 41,600-tonne multi-purpose vessels, which will operate between Indonesia, Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia, Canada, the US East Coast and US Gulf.

US-based, CBay Systems is in negotiations with Godrej Remote Services- a unit of Godrej Industries- to take over its medical transcriptions business. A back office healthcare BPO firm, CBay plans to grow its India-operations by buying the Company, while Godrej Industries will increase its share in the US Firm.

About 70% of CBay’s business deals with hospital services- such as billing and receivables management for 400-700 bed hospitals. It also outsources transcription services.

Godrej Remote Services is currently run as a franchisee of CBay, whereby a certain portion of its medical transcription work is subcontracted to external vendors.

As CBay goes for a Nasdaq listing in a couple of months, the Firm intends to consolidate all its franchisees, which may include non-CBay vendors as well. CBay chairman & CEO, V Raman Kumar stated that the Company was currently short listing franchisees they planned to takeover.

The CBay owned medical transcription units currently employ 1,200 people in India, while its franchisees employ 2,500 people. The Firm plans to boost its headcount to 5,000 people by the end of ’04.