The Red Sea Crisis began in October 2023 when the Houthi movement in Yemen launched an attack on Israel, demanding an end to the invasion of Gaza Strip. Since then, the Houthis have captured and targeted many merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea. US and allied forces retaliation strikes followed.
This complicated political situation has had a great impact on shipping between Asia and Europe. For crew and cargo safety reasons container ships had to avoid the Suez Canal route. Instead they sail round the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. This adds about 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) and 10-12 days of transit to the voyage. The unavoidable de-route has increased costs of sea transport, caused delays and affected prices of goods.
Importers had no choice but to adapt to the new challenge in order to create a buffer for their already stretched budgets. Compromised stock levels had to be taken care of too. As a result, railway transportation between China and the UK has become a new popular alternative to a longer sea route and more expensive air shipping.
Rail takes approximately 28-30 days from Xi’an terminal to Dartford and although more expensive than sea, it offers great savings compared to air freight.
Since the Red Sea crisis began, thanks to our proactive Railway Unit in China, our customers have been able to achieve the optimum solution for their cargo, saving cost in relation to air freight and time in relation to sea freight.
The railway solution is very attractive to businesses importing goods both on pallets (LCLs) and in containers (FCLs). LCLs arrive straight at the railway depoit in London. This is where they are customs cleared and then distributed to customers’ premises. FCLs discharge in Duisburg or Liege from where they come to the UK by road.
Since 2017 when London became the 15th European city to be directly connected to China by rail, the British importers have gained a valuable transit option from the Far East. The railway transport is a great choice for many importers and should not be excluded when considering methods of transport from China. We strongly encourage our current and potential clients to get in touch with us so that we can present this option to them together with alternatives.