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DHL Freight’s multimodal service further expands links between Europe and Asia, and Northern Africa and the Middle East As a sign of accelerating trade between Asian and European markets, DHL Freight is further expanding its multimodal solution by opening a new transit hub in the busy port city of Piraeus which is located within Athens’ urban area. The Piraeus port’s unique geographical position enables shorter end-to-end lead times for ocean freight shipments due to the close location to the Suez-Channel from Asia to Europe and vice versa. In addition to the transit time advantages, DHL Freight’s customers can look forward to a whole slew of benefits by using DHL Piraeus including:
- Daily departures with day-definite lead times from/to Europe major markets
- Fast and efficient cargo consolidation and deconsolidation
- Import and export customs clearance
- Transparency through online tracking
- Integrated ocean/road experts knowledge
Piraeus is connected to key markets in Europe within two to five days through DHL Freight’s vast network – no matter the shipment size. The port city’s free trade zone status means quick transit and customs clearance for shipments to Europe before being transported to the gateways in Milan or Munich within 48 hours and 72 hours respectively, and then onto their final destinations. This new service will save up to nine days of transit time (22-26 days rather than 31-35 days) compared to other traditional ocean freight destinations such as Hamburg or Rotterdam. “The proximity of port Piraeus and our road freight terminal enables immediate access to and fast processing of cargo”, emphasizes Amadou Diallo, CEO DHL Freight. “After arrival and customs clearance procedures, we can directly transfer the goods on to our European road freight network – either as a standard DHL Freight Euroconnect or a prioritized DHL Freight Eurapid shipment.”
Thomas Kowitzki, Head of Multimodal, DHL Freight, states, “With this new maritime service, we are providing an alternative, specifically to shippers trading with China, next to the air and rail options. We are striving to give our customers innovative concepts by exploring new ways, regardless of transport mode.”
This combination of road and ocean freight services brings further advantages. Greece’s proximity to the Central Eastern European markets represents a major advantage for customers targeting this region as it reduces both transport cost and lead time, and customers can monitor their shipments using DHL`s Track & Trace platform.
