SIMIC

Tony Cole, Davies Turner's head of ocean said: "Our weekly LCL volumes on the overland rail freight service have increased from just two high cube 40-foot consol containers per week when we started the service in 2018, to six or seven, 40-foot HC consols per week now.

"The new rate of US$300.00 per 500 kg / 1 CBM will become applicable from mid-March and delivers a reduction of USD70 per 500 kg / 1 CBM on LCL shipments compared to the current rate.

Davies Turner launched its own direct weekly fixed-day rail consol import service from China to the UK in November 2018 and has seen it go from strength to strength. Bookings have increased continually.

On departure from Wuhan, China, the rail service heads direct to Duisburg in Germany and the containers are then trucked under bond to the nearby port of Rotterdam. From there they are shipped across the Channel to UK and again trucked to Davies Turner's regional distribution centres across the country.

Mr Cole concluded: "With a transit time of around 24 days from China to the UK, our direct weekly Express China Rail service for consol and FCL traffic continues to offer a reliable and much faster service versus the all-ocean alternative from ports on China's North Eastern and Eastern coasts."