The service operates from LCL Logistix's CFS at Nhava Sheva, India's largest container port, utilizing weekly sailings to Klaipeda, Lithuania's Baltic port. On arrival, containers are transferred to the capital, Vilnius, where they are broken down and shipments then transferred to each destination country.
Countries served are Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Inland transportation is handled by LCL Logistix's partner, UAB Transtira. UAB Transtira is one of the region's largest transport operators with a fleet of 400 vehicles; it is already a long-term service partner of FPS in Rotterdam. Sailing times are 31 days port to port, and road transfers to furthest inland destinations take a further 7 days.
Explains LCL Logistix Analyst Abbas Mirza: 'Traditional gateways to this region for Indian shippers have always been Hamburg, Rotterdam or the Scandinavian ports; but the lack of dedicated through services to the CIS means there are often multiple transhipment points en route - introducing delays, extra cost and the potential for lost shipments.
'Indian shippers have often been forced to pay for whole containers, even though they were only shipping 5 cubic metres, in order to obtain earlier sailings, wider choice of carrier and more secure routing.
'This new LCL service is the fastest and lowest cost route to the Baltic and CIS from India, with dedicated boxes into Klaipeda and frequent transhipments to destination. On average, this service saves 40% of transit time and cost, with the bonus of 60 % more geographic coverage.'
LCL Logistix expects the new service to attract particular interest from the pharmaceuticals sector.
