China¡¯s First Direct Service to Callao Port Launched!
Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-15 Origin: Site
On September 12, COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co., Ltd. (COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers for short) officially launched the West South America Direct Express Service (Zhangjiagang - Callao), marking China¡¯s first breakbulk liner route directly connecting to Callao Port.
As the maiden voyage vessel of this route, the 77,000 DWT multi-purpose ship "GREEN SUAPE" set sail for South America after loading over 30,000 tons of cargo, including energy storage containers, engineering equipment, jumbo bags, and round steel.
It is reported that this route is a key product of COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers in serving the "Belt and Road Initiative". Inheriting the excellent attributes of high efficiency, stability, and sustainability from the BRICS Express Service for East South America, it features strong timeliness, high cargo adaptability, and significant regional service scale effects. Complementing the weekly BRICS Express Service for East South America in functions and advantages, it will build a more systematic and comprehensive service network in South America.
COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers stated that it will deploy a fleet of new multi-purpose ships on this route, including 62,000 DWT and 72,000 DWT vessels with an average age of 3 years, supplemented by handy-sized multi-purpose ships and heavy-lift ships. Operating once a month, the service can reach Callao Port in Peru in as fast as 32 days, 5 days shorter than the market average voyage. It is capable of transporting full-category cargo such as engineering vehicles, heavy-lift items, containers, and lithium-ion energy storage containers.
After the launch of the new route, it is expected to transport 500,000 freight tons of breakbulk cargo from Suzhou to the west coast of Central and South America annually, filling the gap in regional "breakbulk + container integrated" liner express services. Radiating to neighboring countries and regions from Callao Port, it will strongly promote economic and trade exchanges between China and countries along the west coast of South America, and build a new Asia-Latin America Land-Sea Corridor in the new era.
Notably, the ships serving this route will be equipped with 40-foot composite material frame containers newly developed by COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers in October this year. By combining new materials, new technologies with careful stowage plans, the containers will reduce the contact with cargo handling machinery and comprehensively improve transportation safety and quality.
Meanwhile, COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers and Zhangjiagang jointly launched the "Specialized Carriers - Zhangjiagang" Basic Port Worry-Free Full-Service System, covering four dimensions: pre-planning, safety & efficiency, digital empowerment, and customer experience. Together, they have created a fast-turnaround model of "operation upon berthing, departure upon cargo completion" for "one-port loading in Zhangjiagang", providing solid support for the "Callao Express" liner service.
COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers further stated that it will launch barge services for the "Yangtze River Feeder + Xiangjiang River Feeder" in the future to achieve seamless connection from inland rivers to ocean shipping. Cargo sources in the Yangtze River Basin can be efficiently aggregated in Zhangjiagang for export, extending the maritime transportation service further to both ends of the supply chain. On the same day, the Zhangjiagang Operation Center of COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Suzhou Company was unveiled.
This layout complements COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Suzhou Company (established in April this year), COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers East China Branch (established in August), and the existing COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Shanghai Subsidiary. It further improves the professional, regional, and localized service layout, significantly enhancing regional resource integration and customer service capabilities. This provides stronger support and guarantee for the vigorous development of maritime trade in the Yangtze River Delta region, and also serves as a key measure for COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers to strengthen its strategic layout in East China and respond to the construction of the Yangtze River Delta Integration and Yangtze River Economic Belt.
As a "national team in shipping", COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers has transported nearly 120 million freight tons of cargo along the "Belt and Road" routes over the past 12 years, acting as a pioneer and leader in the shipping industry¡¯s efforts to support the "Belt and Road Initiative". As an extension of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road", South America has seen COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers transport materials for local large-scale projects on multiple occasions, providing strong support for energy and infrastructure construction in South America.
