CEVA Logistics is the latest addition to a series of companies entering the MIddle Corridor to transit between China-Europe. WIth a new service connecting Xi’an to Duisburg, the logistics specialist company will offer weekly departures starting from May.

CEVA has already dispatched the first two trains through the route. The first blocktrain commenced on 21 April, carrying 44 containers, while the second took its turn on 29 April. The transit time of the new service is around 30-35 days, ten days less than ocean shipping but almost at the same cost, says CEVA.

Intermodal and diverse

CEVA’s MIddle Corridor route starts from Xi’an in China. After crossing the border with Kazakhstan in Dostyk, trains travel to the port of Aktau, where cargo tranships on a vessel heading to the port of Baku in Azerbaijan. Then it continues from Baku to the port of Poti in Georgia by rail.

From Poti, customers have two options. They can either choose vessel transport through the Black Sea to the Romanian port of Constanta or trucking to Istanbul. From Constanta and Istanbul, cargo can continue transiting by rail, heading to Budapest, with Duisburg being the final destination.

As for the route’s Turkish section, it also serves the domestic market since, so far, the containers heading to Istanbul have stayed there. Nevertheless, it is still a viable option to transit toward Europe.