Zim launches a sea-rail service to carry electronics and other consumer goods from Yiwu, in China’s Zhejiang province, to Ningbo-Zhoushan port, in Zhejiang, from where they will be shipped to the US west coast, says an article published in The LoadStar.
About the collaboration
The service will be operated in collaboration with China Railway and Ningbo-Zhoushan port.
Claimed to be the first of its kind, the sea-rail service transports goods purchased from Yiwu, home of the world’s largest consumer goods e-commerce wholesale market.
The 100th-anniversary celebration
Previously, the product was trucked to either Ningbo-Zhoushan or Shanghai, taking six to eight hours, which rail can halve.
The inaugural service, carrying 100 20ft containers departed Yiwu on 1 July to coincide with the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
A unique solution
A Zim spokesman told The Loadstar every day one to three trains departed Yiwu for Ningbo-Zhoushan, each carrying 15-50teu.
He said, “To cater to the growing needs of our customers, Zim came up with a unique solution, arranging dedicated block space on the train from Yiwu to Ningbo in order to connect to our e-commerce Central China express service to LA.”
Rise in e-commerce sales
China’s Ministry of Commerce said e-commerce sales had increased significantly, with many more Americans and Europeans buying goods.
This had resulted in rapid growth in Yiwu’s international e-commerce sales, with Q1 21 figures showing the city’s cross-border e-commerce exports grew 21%, year on year, to nearly $3bn, it added.
“Behind the prosperity of international e-commerce, efficient logistics infrastructure is needed. In this context, China Railway’s Shanghai bureau and China Railway Container Transport Corporation’s Shanghai branch co-ordinated with Ningbo-Zhoushan port and shipping companies, to create a cross-border e-commerce special train for sea-rail transportation, helping Yiwu expand its e-commerce trade channels.”
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Source: TheLoadStar
