New Silk Road’s Member Atlantic Forwarding announced the launch of their first block train which left Zaozhuang, China on 16th July, and is on its way to Duisburg, Germany. The block train is carrying fifty 40´HC containers, operated within their Rail of the Art (ROTA) – Express service. The train is charmingly called “Rosie I”.
For logistics providers, the New Silk Road has been one of the topics that has snatched attention over the past years. The confusion around it is immense. For some, this is one of the most remarkable projects to connect Europe and Asia through the Eurasian landmass. For others, it is a series of infrastructural debt traps. Whatever the concern, it is now clear that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is here to say, as the Chinese Communist Party in 2017 formally included the BRI in its constitution. This means that these developments will continue to occur, and now it is up to us in logistics to leverage the benefits and opportunities.
2020-21 saw some of the biggest logistical disasters, and no, we are not referring to the Ever given stuck in the Suez Canal. The Lebanon explosion in 2020 and the X-Press Pearl disaster a few months ago are prime examples of the mismanagement of dangerous goods. Almost every year, we hear of large oil spills in the ocean and port explosions that pose threats to economic, human and environmental aspects.
On July 13th 2021, the first direct train from the Chinese city of Hefei in Anhui province reached the JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven, a partner of New Silk Road Network. The train departed Hefei on 25 June with a volume of around 100 TEU, carrying mainly household appliances as well as textiles and electrical goods, which will be distributed from Wilhelmshaven to the hinterland.
As container freight rates continue to increase exponentially, more shippers are looking to Breakbulk to fulfil their requirements. In the last three months alone, container freight rates have risen by another 50%. The "Ever Given" grounding in the Suez Canal has made the world more aware of what the shipping industry entails. The consequences have emphasised the fragility of the world's supply chains as the repercussions continue to be felt. This has caused many shippers to rely on Breakbulk rather than the unreliable container rates.
New Silk Road Network’s founding partner JadeWeserPort Wilhelmshaven is preparing to welcome the first direct container train from Hefei International Landport (HILP), in Hefei China, to the freight village of JadeWeserPort. The train departed on the 25th June and is hopefully the first of many more which will bring more and more cargo to Wilhelmshaven.
