Cargo-partner adds rail-sea solution for western China-Europe freight

Austrian forwarder claims it ‘achieves the same lead times as with combined road and sea transport, at roughly a third of the cost’ using new land-sea corridor for shipments between Europe and western and central China.

Austrian freight forwarder Cargo-partner has introduced a new intermodal option for shipments between Europe and western and central China, using a new rail-sea solution via a land-sea corridor.

With the rail connection from Chongqing to Qinzhou Port, Cargo-partner said it could cover 16 provinces in China’s western and central regions “to reach all major production areas in the country’s hinterland. The new transport service is up to twice as fast as barge transport at around 30% of the cost of road transport.”

It highlighted that the western and central regions of China “are home to a multitude of manufacturing hubs of international companies serving a range of industries such as automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. Until recently, however, connections to China’s main sea ports in the east of the country have been limited to road or barge transport.

“While road transport is associated with high costs, barge transport comes with long transit times, restricted availability of space and equipment, and complete suspension of services during the winter season. With China’s development plans for a new land-sea corridor, new and more convenient options are now opening up.”

It continued: “Cargo-partner now offers its customers a significantly more time- and cost-efficient alternative to road and barge transport by making use of the block train from Chongqing in southwest China to Qinzhou Port in the south. The route spans 1,200 km, and transit times amount to two days, with daily departures.

“The new service covers 16 provinces in China’s western and central regions and is connected to cargo-partner’s rail transport service across the New Silk Road to provide access to numerous destinations in Europe, with comprehensive distribution options.”

With the new rail-sea transport solution, Cargo-partner said it “achieves the same lead times as with combined road and sea transport, at roughly a third of the cost. From Chongqing to Hamburg, for instance, lead times by road and seafreight via Shanghai currently amount to approximately 35 days.

“With combined rail and sea transport via Qinzhou, cargo-partner can offer lead times of approximately 33 days. Despite the fast speed, the rates per container differ only slightly from those for combined barge and sea transport, which comes with lead times of 45 to 47 days.”

Gill Wu, Managing Director Central China, confirmed: “With our new rail-sea service from Chongqing via Qinzhou, we provide a highly beneficial solution for international shipments from and to the hinterland area of China. We are glad to offer this new advantage to our customers and we are closely following the further developments along the new land-sea corridor so that we can keep providing the most efficient intermodal transport solutions.”

Cargo-partner has been represented in China since 2004 and currently operates 16 offices with 284 employees across the country. cargo-partner in China offers a comprehensive range of air, sea, land transport, warehousing and info-logistics solutions for various industries. With its rail transport solutions via the New Silk Road, the company provides weekly consolidation services with full coverage throughout Europe and China.

Source: Lloyd’s