Liaoning Port Group, the Dalian port operator, said that a new direct express service from the Chinese port to Australia began on 2 March.
The new service, named North China Australia Express (C3A), is expected to cut transit times, shortening the voyage from 35-45 days to 20 days at the minimum, while it is also expected to decrease transit costs.
The vessels that will be deployed on the new route will provide direct services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and other key Australian ports from the Port of Dalian, a major container hub in China that achieved the largest year on year percentage box increase in January among all the Chinese container ports.
The major products that will be transported from China to Australia via the new shipping route will be chemical products, steel products, grain and the like, while from Australia to China will be food, health care products, and other commodities.
Liaoning Port Group noted that Australian goods used to be transshipped to Dalian through the Republic of Korea, but after the opening of the new sea route, imported goods including fruits can reach the Chinese market directly at a low cost and high efficiency.
