A recent China-Spain TIR transport conducted by operator, Alblas, and freight forwarder, CEVA, clearly demonstrates the strong business case for TIR transports between the two countries.
Arriving in Alicante, Spain on 29 March, the China-Spain TIR transport took only 16 days to complete the 13,500 km route.
“This was the last official trial of our new China-Europe trucking service before we launch a regular service this month,” said Torben Bengtsson, Executive Vice President of CEVA Logistics North Asia.
Loaded with 6,800kg worth of goods, the truck set off from Foshan City, China, and began its TIR transport at the Khorgos border crossing point, travelling through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France before reaching its final destination in Spain.
Thanks to the TIR system, customs inspections of the truck compartment were only required at the start and the end of the journey, proving once again the cost, time and security benefits of TIR.
According to one industry estimate, China-Europe road transport under TIR could save transport companies at least 40% on door-to-door costs compared to air, and at least 10-days delivery time compared with rail.
Building on previous successful China-EU TIR transport pilots, regular China-EU transport services under TIR will commence in April 2019. Routes can now be tailored according to customer needs, serving to unleash the trade potential between the two regions. A Less than Container Load cargo service is also expected to be launched in June to cement these trade advances.