Panalpina, the Swiss freight forwarder, has added three new direct less-than-container load (LCL) services to its Asia-to-Europe network.
Operated by its non-vessel-operating common carrier Pantainer Express Line, the new weekly services provide guaranteed delivery from Singapore to Prague (Czech Republic), Singapore to Budapest (Hungary), and Shanghai to Graz (Austria).
“There is a growing demand in the automotive and high-tech industries for direct consolidation services from Asia into the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria,” said Christian Kruse, regional head of Ocean Freight LCL Europe and Middle East.
Panalpina’s shipments from Singapore to Prague, Singapore to Budapest, and Shanghai to Graz used to run via Hamburg by rail to Linz in Austria, where the cargo was loaded onto trucks.
“In order to cut transit times and CO2 emissions we’ve decided to take the Linz stop out for these services and route cargo for Budapest and Graz via Koper, Slovenia’s port on the Adriatic Sea,” explained Kruse.
The new services cut transit times for both Singapore to Prague and Singapore to Budapest by two to 29 days. The journey from Shanghai to Graz now only takes 36 days instead of 41.
With the shorter distances and a shift from road to rail for Prague and Budapest, CO2 emissions for these services are reduced by 22 percent for Graz, 8 percent for Prague, and 33 percent for Budapest, said Panalpina, the world’s fourth largest freight forwarder, in a press statement on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Panalpina
