1st ro-ro shipping route to UAE launched at Beibu Gulf Port

Cars line up to be loaded. [Photo/China News Daily]

The inaugural ceremony of the first ro-ro shipping route at Beibu Gulf Port was held in Qinzhou, Guangxi, on April 7, marking the first direct shipping line between Beibu Gulf Port of Guangxi and Jebel Ali Port of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Jebel Ali Port is one of the largest and busiest ports in the Middle East. The new route seamlessly transports goods and vehicles by sea and rail over approximately 4,700 nautical miles, reducing travel time to around 430 hours.

Compared to traditional routes, this route shortens the journey by four to 10 days, improves transportation efficiency by 10 to 15 percent, and cuts costs by over 8 percent, providing faster and more efficient logistics services for trade between China and the UAE.

This transportation offers a more competitive logistics solution for exporting domestically produced vehicles from Guangxi, Chongqing, and southwestern China to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond markets. It aims to establish Guangxi as a hub for automobile exports to international markets like ASEAN and the Middle East.

The opening of this route creates a new path for whole vehicle exports from western China by sea, ultimately boosting export efficiency for automobile enterprises.