First China-Europe Express of cargo ship completes maiden voyage in just 26 days

The busy scene at Dapukou terminal of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, East China's Zhejiang Province (Li Hao/GT)

The first container ship of the "China-Europe Express", the cargo ship KAWA Ningbo, operating the fastest direct route connecting Europe and China's Yangtze River Delta region, arrived at its destination at the Jade Weser Port in Wilhelmshaven, Germany on Friday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Just taking 26 days, the non-stop voyage significantly reduced the shipping time from 45 days in the past. The cargo ship, carrying more than 1,700 containers of new energy and other high-value goods, departed from Ningbo Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang Province on December 30.

The "China-Europe Express" container ship, a direct "point-to-point" route between Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Wilhelmshaven, without any intermediate ports, makes it the fastest direct sea route from Ningbo Zhoushan Port to Europe, providing a guarantee for the more efficient operation of China-EU trade, said Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co, the port operator, in a press release shared with the Global Times on Saturday.

The new service provides convenient export transportation for the "new three items" - electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products - made in the Yangtze River Delta region, effectively addressing the difficulties of shipping, transportation, and storage, the port operator said.

The new route will operate on a monthly schedule, offering a tailor-made "one-stop" express service for industrial and manufacturing enterprises in Zhejiang Province and nationwide to export goods to Europe, according to Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co.

Relying on the "China-Europe Express" and overseas warehouses, goods directly shipped from Ningbo Zhoushan Port can be transshipped through Wilhelmshaven Port as a distribution hub, to northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region by sea, or to northwestern European countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium, and major Central and Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Czech Republic, and Poland, according to the press release.

"In recent years, demand for cargo timeliness has risen significantly, particularly due to supply chain disruptions such as the Red Sea crisis, which forced many ships to take longer detours… The introduction of direct sea routes between China and Europe provides a great alternative and a valuable complement to boosting China-Europe trade," Zheng Jingwen, a senior analyst at the Shanghai International Shipping Institute, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Zheng also noted that many goods shipped from China to Europe require faster delivery to meet tight schedules, and the new route can better meet this requirement.

In terms of the cost, Zheng said that while direct shipping can be generally more expensive than sea freight involving multiple port stops, it remains more affordable and offers greater capacity compared with air freight and China-Europe freight trains.

"The launch of the 'China-Europe Express' route not only provides convenience for the exchange of goods between China and Europe, but also plays a positive role in stabilizing global product and supply chains, vividly interpreting the profound connotation of jointly building the 'Belt and Road'," said Cong Wu, consul general of the Chinese General Consulate in Hamburg, at a ceremony marking the completion of the voyage, Xinhua reported.

Cong further emphasized that the steady development of this new route would undoubtedly create new cooperation opportunities for both regions and inject fresh vitality into bilateral economic growth.