Since the launch of the service two years ago, multi country consolidation (MCC) containers have been transported by rail from Wuhan across China, Kazakhstan, Belarus and into Warsaw in Poland. On arrival, consignments destined for UK were transshipped to a local bonded warehouse and then trucked via Dover port to the company's Dartford hub for customs clearance, reported AJOT.

Owing to a recent restructuring of operations, containers will be carried by rail from Wuhan direct to Duisburg in Germany, before being trucked under bond to the port of Rotterdam and transported by ferry to Purfleet, near Dartford for on-carriage by truck to the company's distribution centre, where they will be discharged, customs cleared and delivered.

"This new more direct method of moving the container from Wuhan to the UK will remove the current need to unload the container in Poland, then reload into a trailer, which will enable us to offer a lower rate to the market and reduce the possibility of delays, as well as strengthening security," said head of supply chain services Tony Cole.

The service is offered in conjunction with the company's long-standing partner in China - Air Sea Transport Inc - which arranges collection of shipments from any location in mainland China to the rail terminal at Wuhan, where closing dates are three days prior to the departure of the intercontinental rail service. The Wuhan rail hub to Dartford depot transit time is 22 to 24 days.

Chairman Philip Stephenson added: "The cost is significantly less than shipping the cargo by air and much quicker than getting it to destination by sea. Being able to reduce rates even further will give us the opportunity to convert more shipments from air freight to the less expensive rail service, whilst upgrading shipments currently moving by ocean-freight to the faster overland option.