Feature, Freight News, Sea


German port welcomes China-Europe Express

[ January 27, 2025   //   ]

Representatives from politics and business welcomed the first ship on Kawa Shipping‘s new China-Europe-Express (CEX) to JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany on 27 January.

With a transit time of 26 days, CEX claims to be the fastest direct link between China’s busiest port of Ningbo in Southern China and Northern Europe. KAWA Shipping is a new customer at JadeWeserPort and is using CEX to open up new markets.

Representative Maud Lau, said: “With the CEX service, we are expanding our business activities in Europe and are initially offering shippers a monthly departure between Ningbo and Wilhelmshaven. Container vessels with a capacity of 2,500 TEU will be operated. In the first half of the year, we are planning to expand to fortnightly departures with container vessels with a capacity of 5,000 TEU.

Managing director of Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-marketing, Marc-Oliver Hauswald, pointed out that there is also a rail link from Wilhelmshaven to Budapest, adding: “JadeWeserPort is developing into a hub for global logistics. The ports on the East coast of North America can also be reached quickly via Wilhelmshaven.”

JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven, which bills itself as Germany’s only deep-water container port opened in 2012 and comprises a 130-hectare container terminal with a 1,725-meter-long quay. With a draught of 18 meters, it is accessible regardless of tides. An adjacent freight village offers 150 hectares of commercial and industrial space and has space for further expansion.

Kawa Shipping, headquartered in Shanghai and founded in 2023 has so far has mainly been active in the Middle East trade. Its container ship fleet has a capacity of 12,000TEU and to date has mainly served Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Dalian and Jebel Ali have mainly been served to date.

The launch of the CEX service opens up new opportunities for KAWA Shipping to tap into attractive markets. Maud Lau, representative of KAWA Shipping, says: “As a new customer at JadeWeserPort, we are very pleased about the first call of the Kawa Ningbo.

Maud Lau added: “We are developing a wide range of business activities, with a particular focus on the international sea transportation of lithium batteries and comprehensive services for the international trade in electronic goods.” By offering fast transportation between China and Europe, Kawa Shipping aims to integrate g overseas warehouses into the logistics chain.

CEX is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at reducing logistics costs and securing stable transportation chains. 

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