Strategic Milestone: COSCO Shipping Bulk Launches Its First Container Route

Although the COSCO Shipping group currently owns the world's fourth-largest container shipping line, the conglomerate's bulk shipping division has just made a strategic foray into the container segment.

COSCO Shipping Bulk has officially deployed its first scheduled container route. This is considered a strategic milestone as the company expands its scale from traditional bulk shipping to an integrated container transport model.

The vessel Guo Yun Hai successfully called at the Phase II Terminal of the Nansha Port Area in Guangzhou, officially inaugurating a direct, multipurpose container service that connects South China's key logistics hub with North Africa.

This new service creates a high-speed and reliable maritime corridor linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with rapidly growing markets in North Africa, simultaneously enhancing trade connectivity and logistics efficiency between Asia and this region.

Itinerary and Port Rotation

The specific routing of the service is as follows: Qingdao – Incheon – Shanghai – Ningbo – Nansha – Suez Canal – Port Said West – Benghazi – Misrata – Valencia.

This service provides direct connections between the Port of Nansha and Port Said (Egypt), Benghazi, and Misrata (Libya). Notably, the shortest transit time from Nansha to North Africa takes a mere 21 days. This represents the fastest transit time from Nansha to Libya currently available on the market, significantly improving trade efficiency.

Operational Capacity and Core Strengths

Boasting high cargo adaptability and outstanding flexibility, COSCO Shipping Bulk's new service supports the transportation of dangerous goods (DG) containers, such as:

●    New Energy Vehicles (NEVs).

●    Lithium batteries.

●    Energy storage containers.

Furthermore, the vessel is equipped with 220 reefer plugs to meet diverse export demands, offering core advantages of economy, efficiency, and high reliability.

This strategic shift by COSCO Shipping Bulk not only enriches the conglomerate's transport ecosystem but also provides shippers with an additional specialized and transit-time-optimized shipping option for maritime routes to the Mediterranean and North Africa.

See more:

• Air Freight Supply Chain Disruptions Send Gulf Food Prices Soaring
• 2025 Global Air Logistics Landscape: The Top 10 Busiest Cargo Airports
• MSC Sets a Historic Record, Reaching the 1,000-Vessel Milestone
• Maersk's Latest Move: Steep Hike in Cargo Insurance and Cargo Care Fees at Middle East Ports Amid Escalating Risks
• Hormuz Crisis Day 46: Naval Blockade and Backchannel Diplomacy
• M&A Deal: DHL Acquires South African Logistics Trio to Expand Its Ecosystem in Africa
• Evergreen Invests $3 Billion to Expand Megamax Fleet
• Middle East Airspace Crisis Drags Gulf Airlines' Capacity Share Down to 4%
• OOCL Q1 2026 Report: Revenue Records a 7.6% Decline
• MSC Extends Emergency Fuel Surcharge Amid Global Market Disruptions
• International Shipping and Logistics Market Update Week 15/2026 | Phaata
• Transit Toll Dispute Freezes Prospects for Hormuz Route Recovery
• COSCO updates Vietnam-Intra Asia sailing schedules in Apr 2026
• COSCO schedules: Vietnam - North America in Apr 2026
• SITC updates Vietnam-Intra Asia sailing schedules in Apr 2026

Source: Phaata.com (According to Seatrade-Maritime)

► Find Better Freight Rates & Logistics Service Providers!