DHL Global Forwarding is offering shippers a new multi-modal service between China and Japan, which it says cuts costs by up to 60 percent compared to air freight options.
The service uses 12-foot containers that can be picked up from any location in China. They are then trucked to Shanghai by truck, taken across to Hakata in Japan by ferry and then delivered across the coutry by Japan Rail, which also provides westbound pick-up and delivery.
The ferry leg of the service is viewed as a prototype for how ro-ro could eventually play a key part in intra-Asia trade. Operated by Shanghai-Hakata Super Express, the twice-weekly services offers transit times of 40 hours, including loading and unloading and benefits from priority customs clearance.
The Journal of Commerce Online
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