On May 22nd, the inaugural ceremony for the Southeast Fujian (China)-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) multimodal transport route was held in Xiamen, Fujian. The event marked the departure of a container ship operated by CMA CGM, carrying "Silk Road Maritime" smart containers filled with automobile parts, from Xiamen to Saudi Arabia.
This launch signifies the official opening of the first "Silk Road Maritime" multimodal transport route to the GCC countries, which will operate on a regular basis. The new sea-rail service simplifies procedures significantly; traders need only complete one declaration process for each batch of goods needing transshipment, cutting costs by nearly 25% and reducing transit time by approximately seven days compared to traditional routes. Additionally, the use of "Silk Road Maritime" smart containers allows import and export traders to track their shipments in real time, providing greater transparency.
The route starts in Nanchang, Jiangxi, passes through Xiamen, and proceeds to Saudi Arabia, utilizing a "single-document sea-rail transport plus end-to-end logistics visibility" service model. It maximizes the resources of the "Silk Road Maritime" Fujian-Jiangxi sea-rail transport platform and leverages multiple advantages to reduce costs and increase efficiency for importers and exporters.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are strategically located along the Persian Gulf, making them crucial hubs for connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, and they are key partners in the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Nanchang-Xiamen-Saudi Arabia route connects China's inland areas to the GCC countries, forming an integral part of the "Silk Road Maritime" initiative, a major logistics corridor in Southeast Asia. It provides a new logistics option for the movement of goods between China's central-western and southeastern regions and the Middle East, playing a crucial role in facilitating international maritime logistics and deepening Sino-Gulf economic and trade cooperation.
