The Chinese company expands its network towards the Middle East and Africa despite tensions in the area
Beijing – Cu Lines has inaugurated a new maritime connection in the Red Sea, strengthening traffic between China, the Middle East and Africa at a time when many major carriers instead continue to avoid the area for security reasons.
The new Red Sea Service (Res) provides weekly departures from eastern and southern China to Aqaba, integrating with the regional network already managed by the company in the Red Sea.
The service rotation will connect Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Jeddah, Aqaba and Sokhna, with a full cycle of 56 days.
According to the company, the new service will allow offering more efficient and reliable connections thanks to integration with the regional feeder lines already directly controlled by Cu Lines.
The initiative is part of the Chinese strategy linked to the Belt and Road Initiative and aims to support the increase in trade between Asia, the Gulf and Africa.
In recent months Cu Lines had already reacted to operational difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz by launching two new services: the CGX China–Middle East Direct Express and the Cgs China–Khor Fakkan Express, intended to keep logistics connections active towards the Persian Gulf.
The company considers the port of Khor Fakkan a strategic hub for land and sea connections to the Gulf markets.
Cu Lines’ choice highlights how some Asian operators are exploiting the spaces left free by major Western carriers in the Red Sea, seeking to consolidate new market shares along the routes between Asia and the Middle East despite the persistence of geopolitical tensions.
