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New DHL service links bring Eastern Europe closer to Asia

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist at Deutsche Post DHL, has launched direct export services from Central Eastern Europe to Asia via the port of Koper, Slovenia. The new export solution, linking Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia directly with the Asian business centers of Hong Kong, Keelung, Pusan, Shanghai and Singapore, is unique in the market. Customers who forward their LCL (Less-Than-Container-Load) shipments via Koper achieve significantly shorter transit times than on the route via ports in northern Europe. This means ocean freight can now be delivered from Central Eastern Europe to Asia even faster.

"Trade between North Asia and Eastern Europe has grown rapidly over the last decade at an average rate of 32 percent growth per year. China’s imports from central and east European countries grew even faster, registering an average annual rate of 38.7 percent. These figures substantiate a need for the introduction of these new trade routes to serve the North Asian markets more efficiently. The launch of the new LCL routes supports our vision to be the provider of choice among our customers through better connectivity and cost efficiency." said Dr. Kelvin Leung, CEO, North Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding.

Together with the Koper gateway, the network of DHL logistics centers in the countries of origin and at destinations ensures smooth, uninterrupted forwarding of shipments along the entire route. Containers are first opened in Asia prior to deconsolidation and delivery to final destinations. Customers can trace their LCL shipments by a web-based freight tracking system providing continuous information about the cargo’s condition.

Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Africa and South Asia Pacific, said: "Speed and connectivity are crucial elements for our customers in Singapore as they are constantly looking for better trading experiences with their counterparts in Eastern Europe. With full visibility of cargo movements, expert personnel and strong infrastructure in terms of warehouses to handle LCL shipments of all kinds, we are well positioned to meet our customer demands in the Eastern Europe to Singapore trade lanes".

"With the launch of this route, DHL Global Forwarding is one of the first freight forwarders offering export consolidation services via Koper. In addition to meeting the increased demand for shorter transit times to fast-growing regions in Asia, the new LCL service offers a 30 percent more CO2 efficient option for customers, compared with the previous routes that ran via the North European ports," said Marc Meier, senior vice president, Ocean Freight & Head of Global LCL, DHL Global Forwarding.

DHL currently operates the world’s largest LCL network with close to 2 million cubic meters of LCL freight handled annually via 45,000 point-pairs. As a global leader in LCL, DHL carries more than 97 per cent of its total volumes in house. The in-house systems and strong global network enables the control of cargo flow, information flow, speed, accuracy, cost efficiency and reliability. Going beyond port to port, DHL LCL service also offers a complete end-to-end supply chain management that includes pick-up at origin, consolidation and deconsolidation, delivery at destination and customs clearance.

All LCL services are accompanied by DHL’s first-class IT solutions such as DHL Track & Trace and other tools to allow full visibility throughout the whole supply chain. For complete peace of mind, DHL also provides insurance services to customers as a value-added service. DHL’s Shippers Interest Insurance (SII) covers losses or damages of all cargo transported by DHL, as well as transportation costs.