Jade looks to the sea to ease its economic ills

LUFTHANSA Cargo and its minority owned Chinese subsidiary Jade Cargo International will offer combined air/sea transports to Australia commencing January 2009.

According to the concept the goods will be flown by freighters from European airports to either Shenzhen (Jade’s headquarters) or Hong Kong (by LH Cargo) and transferred to Australia-bound ocean vessels.

Two shipping companies – Chinese K-Line and German Hamburg Sued – are partnering to steam the loads from the Pearl River Delta to Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. “It’s these three Australian cities we offer our European clients to send their goods to right from the beginning,” said LH Cargo spokesperson Stefan Hartung.

To start with it will be a one way solution only. “We are however, considering offering the market a further stage of sea/air transports on the way back,” says Hartung.  

All shipments can be booked as td.Pro – the general cargo product LH Cargo has placed in the market – under a Lufthansa Air Waybill number from beginning to end, thus being valid for both the Jade flights and the ocean link as well.
According to Hartung the combined air/sea carriage of goods from origin to destination needs between 13 and 16 days. “This makes our offering attractive compared to 45 to 55 days ocean shipments need until delivery to the consignees.”

Neither LH Cargo nor Jade are currently flying to Australia.

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