From Sea to Land, Connecting Chains into a Network—COSCO Shipping Holdings Continues to Upgrade Global Channel Development

Recently, COSCO Shipping Lines launched the A3X East Australia weekly service, which has attracted significant market attention. This upgraded service introduces a new weekly route, optimizes port calls, increases direct sailings from North and East China to East Australia, and adds a direct express route from Shekou to Melbourne. These enhancements further establish an efficient maritime logistics channel connecting North, East, and South China with East Australia, providing regional customers with higher-quality and more flexible shipping solutions.

With the launch of the renewed A3X East Australia service as a representative example, COSCO Shipping Lines has recently focused on key regions such as the Mediterranean, inland Europe, Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Africa, and Central Asia. The company continues to upgrade trunk routes, expand sea-rail intermodal transport, develop end-to-end land transport, and innovate cold chain services. The construction of the global network is evolving from "route coverage" to "connected networks," from "port connections" to "industrial connections," and from "single-segment transport" to "end-to-end services."

Strengthening the Backbone of Trunk Routes to Solidify the Foundation for Global Connectivity

Building global channels starts with a stable backbone. Trunk routes connect major trade regions, determine the coverage of the global network, and provide the foundation for subsequent hub connections, inland extensions, and end-to-end services.

For the Far East-Mediterranean market, COSCO Shipping Lines continues to optimize direct route products. Through route configurations in directions such as the Western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea, and Greece-Turkey, the company has established a service backbone covering major Mediterranean gateways. Relying on stable trunk products, the flow of goods between the Far East and the Mediterranean has become smoother, creating conditions for the integration of feeder networks, the China-Europe land-sea express, and other services.

On this basis, COSCO Shipping Lines is expanding its trunk service capabilities to more key markets. The A3X East Australia service upgrade strengthens direct services between major Chinese ports and the East Australian market. The optimization of the Far East-South Africa route enhances connectivity between the Far East and southern Africa. Continuous improvements in directions such as the Mediterranean, East Australia, and South Africa make the global route network more balanced, providing customers with more stable access options to different regional markets.

Enhancing Connectivity Through Nodes to Promote Efficient Operation of Sea and Land Resources

Trunk routes solve global connectivity, while nodes determine whether services can extend further. Channel construction is not merely about linking ports and routes but about enabling efficient coordination of maritime, port, rail, road, and inland terminal resources within the same service chain.

COSCO Shipping Lines continues to strengthen hub coordination and sea-land connections, extending the connectivity of ocean routes further into inland areas and industrial nodes. In the Mediterranean direction, hubs such as Piraeus further play their role as distribution centers, connecting with feeder networks, the China-Europe land-sea express, and other services, extending service coverage to regions such as Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea.

In the European direction, the China-Europe land-sea express continues to improve the sea-rail service network on the Iberian Peninsula, creating closer connections between ports, railways, and inland distribution. The southwestern European market is no longer just the endpoint of ocean routes but has formed a multi-node, multi-path service network through sea-rail intermodal transport.

In domestic regional channels, initiatives such as the new foreign trade export channel at Xiaomo Port and the Yangpu connection to South Asia routes are also strengthening the links between ports and industries, regions, and overseas markets. Ports are no longer merely loading and unloading nodes but have become important gateways for regional industries to participate in international circulation. When hub connections are established, industrial exports advance a step further. The deeper the sea-land resource integration, the stronger the channel services' support for regional economies and international trade.

Tailoring Products to Scenarios to Transform Network Capabilities into Customer Solutions

Customers' requirements for logistics services go beyond simply "delivering goods." Manufacturing companies care about whether raw materials can arrive at factories on time, cross-border trade companies care about stable delivery, fresh produce customers care about reliable temperature control, and regional industries care about convenient export channels. When global network construction enters specific scenarios, the value of the supply chain can truly transform into customer value.

For the Central Asia market, COSCO Shipping Lines optimizes logistics channels to facilitate trade between inland regions and Central Asia. For Southeast Asia's raw material import needs, cassava chips are transported through sea shipping, customs clearance, rail transport, and final delivery, directly reaching factories in Chengdu. For high-frequency trade between South China and Vietnam, the Shenzhen-Haiphong land transport channel provides a more direct end-to-end solution. These services are designed based on customers' actual transportation scenarios, integrating origin, destination, customs clearance, transshipment, and final delivery to make transportation solutions more aligned with customers' supply chain needs.

Cold chain services further test a company's responsiveness to specific scenarios. Fresh goods such as blueberries and lychees have high requirements for transportation timeliness, temperature control precision, quarantine processes, and destination delivery. COSCO Shipping Lines integrates cold container resources, end-to-end monitoring, transportation organization, and operational expertise to embed cold chain services into transoceanic trade chains. This ensures stable quality, reliable delivery, and customer control over access to international markets.

From trunk routes and nodes to scenario-based products, the logic of COSCO Shipping Lines' global channel service system has become clearer: trunk routes solve global accessibility, nodes enhance sea-land connection efficiency, and scenario-based products address specific customer needs. These three levels support each other, enabling the coordinated operation of route resources, port resources, land-side resources, and professional service capabilities within a single network.

Through sea and land, connecting chains into networks. As the global network channels continue to improve, COSCO Shipping Lines is transforming more stable route products, more efficient sea-land connections, and more scenario-based service solutions into tangible delivery guarantees for customers, reliable export channels for industries, and sustainable trade flows. This enhances the overall value in the stable operation of global supply chains, injecting stronger momentum into facilitating international trade and supporting industrial development.