Danish shipping company Maersk has inaugurated a multi-country consolidation (MCC) center in Shanghai, enhancing the city's global shipping hub reputation. The center, located in the Lingang New Area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, began operations recently. The initial import containers hailed from Hong Kong and Taiwan, destined for the US, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, Portugal, and Slovakia.
An MCC involves consolidating cargo from various countries with goods for export at the customs area, repackaging, and shipping them out. Maersk, based in Svendborg, Denmark, decided to establish this center after a successful trial at the Port of Shanghai in 2023.
Maersk has also initiated a coastal export service to broaden the MCC business. The first batch of cargo, approximately 230 twenty-foot equivalent units, will be transported to the Port of Shanghai via Maersk's South American east coast route, then to European and US ports, reducing travel time by about seven days.
Since its inception in 2019, the Lingang New Area has been promoting trade liberalization. Last month, China’s State Council stated in the Shanghai FTZ planning program that the country would optimize the MCC platforms' operation mode and attract global consolidation enterprises to establish MCC centers, streamlining customs clearance.
Source: yicaiglobal.com