Panalpina has announced an update to the company’s LCL offering which now includes four sailings per week from Shanghai, China to Singapore and two new services from Egypt to Singapore and from India to Switzerland via Italy.
The latest additions to the global LCL network are expected to provide Panalpina’s customers with more options to transport their goods efficiently throughout the world. The Shanghai to Singapore route has increased in frequency and is now available four times a week, while Egypt to Singapore and India to Switzerland via Italy run once per week.
Clas Thorell, global head of Ocean Freight LCL at Panalpina, said, “We want to make it easier for our customers to do business globally. These solutions are unique to Panalpina and they showcase how we constantly upgrade our LCL network.”
The launch of a weekly service from Alexandria, Egypt to Singapore follows Panalpina’s acquisition in 2015 of its former agent Afifi in Egypt. This service connects Panalpina’s local and international customers in Egypt to the company’s LCL network via the Singapore hub.
The third exclusive LCL offering recently launched by Panalpina, consists of a weekly service from Nhava Sheva, India to Basel via Italy. According to the company’s announcement it is the only direct service to Switzerland in the market that enters Europe through a southern port. Traditionally, LCL shipments from the west coast of India to Switzerland are routed through the ports of the Hamburg-Antwerp range, but with this new service, consolidated containers move from the Port of La Spezia in Italy by railway to Basel. As a result, transit time is expected to be reduced by ten days.
Thorell said of the route, “The journey between container freight stations now takes 22 instead of 32 days. That is simply not possible when entering Europe through one of the northern ports. Depending on the cargo, the new southern route may also prove to be a cost-effective alternative to air freight.”
In 2015 Panalpina launched 20 additional services, focused on Intra Asia, Asia to US and Latin America to Europe. Panalpina today offers approximately 500 LCL services in total.
Source: Panalpina
