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DHL Freight opened a fast route to the Levant. Compared to traditional sea freight, goods on the combined road-sea connection to the Republic of Cyprus only need half of the time. The Republic of Cyprus in the southern Mediterranean area has been one of the European Union’s problem child for years. Meanwhile, the gross domestic product there has shown growth rates of almost four percent and is well above the levels that were registered before the financial crisis in 2008. The demand for goods is correspondingly high and a huge part is imported. The classic island situation, however, poses a challenge to logistics experts and companies as they have to plan on a long term basis. Since the transit times for sea freight amounts for example from the northern German ports to Cyprus 25 days.
Transit times halved
DHL Freight proves that transport can be done much faster by starting a new, weekly service to Cyprus. The cargo initially takes the land route to Athens and from there it is driven the short distance to Piraeus to be loaded on the ferry every Friday. Three days later, the goods are on Cypriot soil and can be picked up or delivered one day later, after completion of the official formalities. With this routing, DHL Freight is able to fully exploit the advantages of its dense connection network. It almost doesn’t matter from which region of the continent: The lead times are considerably shorter compared to shipping by sea. From northern Germany, for example, a shipment only needs 12 to 13 days instead of the previous 25.
The advantage of EU Membership
The users of the new route also benefit from the fact that the Republic of Cyprus is an EU Member State and therefore the packages enjoy the benefits of the free movement of goods. This makes customs clearance much easier. On the other hand, service to the northern part of the island is excluded for this very reason, as it would complicate matters to the extreme. The connection can be booked for all freight products from DHL Freight. It should be noted, however, that the cargo must be in Athens by 2 p.m. on Thursday at the latest to avoid unnecessary delays.
Booking contact:
DHL Global Forwarding, Freight Greece
Telephone: +30 210 2593000
- Maximum measurements for general cargo: 5.80 m x 2.20 m x 2.25 m (L x H x W), 2,500 kg, 10 cu m
- Cargo documents: Packing list and original invoice
- Latest cut-off time in Athens: Thursday, 2 p.m., for further transport in the same week
- Transit time: 3 days from Athens to Cyprus
- Frequency: weekly