International freight forwarder, Davies Turner, said its rail express service in China is benefitting from the move of shipping lines from Asia to use the Cape of Good Hope route instead of the Suez Canal to transport goods to Europe.
Tony Cole, head of supply chain services at Davies Turner said the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and much lower fuel bunker prices has seen a sharp upturn in the number of container line services between Asia and Europe being re-routed via the Cape of Good Hope enabling the lines to avoid the Suez Canal - and its transit fees and dues.
"The increased transit times resulting from the decision by several container shipping lines in the Asia to Europe trade to re-route sailings via the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Suez Canal is making Davies Turner’s direct Express China Rail service even more appealing," the UK-based independent freight and logistics company said.
Cole noted that at least 20 sailings in the Asia to Europe trade lane are being diverted, adding several more days to the transit times of those services.
“If the lines maintain this revised routing, it means that with a transit time of just 24 days from Wuhan to Dartford, our direct Express China Rail service offers an even more competitive transit time versus the all-ocean alternative from ports on China’s North Eastern and Eastern coasts,” he said.
“This change of policy by some of the shipping lines will help us to attract even more shipments currently moving by ocean freight to the faster overland option.”
Since it launched the dedicated weekly fixed-day rail consol import service from China to the UK in November 2018 Davies Turner has seen it go from strength to strength. Bookings have increased continually.
On departure from Wuhan, the intermodal rail service heads directly to Duisburg in Germany.
Containers are then trucked under bond to the port of Rotterdam and transported by ferry to Purfleet, near Dartford, for on-carriage by truck to Davies Turner’s distribution centre, where they are discharged, customs cleared and delivered
