For many goods, air transport is unprofitable, while sea transport is among the slowest: the average transit time between Far Eastern ports and Europe is about a month. An excellent solution to the dilemma of high costs versus long delivery times is therefore combined transport. Part of the route is covered by sea, and part by air. The sea-air service shortens the delivery time of goods from the Far East to Poland by about two weeks, while keeping costs at a relatively low level. The most convenient transshipment hub is Dubai, one of the main cities of the United Arab Emirates.
– Dubai lies almost exactly halfway between China and Europe – explains Arkadiusz Mirek, Managing Director of DSV Air&Sea. – It is constantly investing in logistics infrastructure and has excellent air connections with Europe and Africa. The political stability of the Emirates is also not without significance.
Since 2007, DSV has had its own office in Dubai.
– This increases transport reliability – emphasizes Krzysztof Suchodoła, Deputy Managing Director of DSV Air&Sea. – Thanks to this, we maintain supervision over transshipment, and we also use our experience in transitioning between sea and air procedures.
Cargo most often arrives in Frankfurt, the largest airport in Europe in terms of freight volume handled. There, at the customer’s request, EU customs clearance takes place, after which shipments are deconsolidated and distributed to the indicated destinations. Combined transport is an excellent solution for medium-sized importers.
– The key here is the certainty of the delivery date, which is much greater than in the case of sea transport – concludes Arkadiusz Mirek. – Combined with costs lower than air freight, this can mean achieving a significant competitive advantage.