All three new lines can serve the export needs of "Made in China." However, "Made in China" is not synonymous with "Made by the Chinese," but rather reflects how global companies can find more cost-effective supply chain solutions within China.

On November 11th, COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers, the national leader in China's specialized transportation, launched three new Liner & Regular Service (LRS) lines originating from Suzhou, bound for Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf, and Northwest Europe, respectively. Each route highlights the characteristics and future development trends of industrial collaboration between China and these respective regions.

Behind the pursuit of speed and schedule reliability in these LRS lines lies the "optimized planning and coordination" of transportation capacity for "Made in China." The shift towards liner services for specialized cargo is a direct response to the fact that "traditional, irregular sailings could no longer meet the rigid requirements of clients' project timelines," effectively driving systematic change within the specialized transport industry.

Three Lines Launched in a Single Day: Serving "Made in China"

"Made in China" products go out, European raw materials come in.

The three new services launched by COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers are the Southeast Asia heavy-lift service, the Persian Gulf service, and the Northwest Europe service.

The Southeast Asia heavy-lift service operates on a bi-weekly basis, covering the West Pacific and Australia-New Zealand regions. Leveraging a fleet of heavy-lift vessels with capacities ranging from 9,000 to 62,000 DWT and lifting capabilities of up to 700 tons, the service departs from Chinese ports such as Qingdao, Suzhou, and Dongguan, directly connecting to major Southeast Asian ports including Laem Chabang (Thailand), Singapore, and Jakarta (Indonesia). It primarily transports wind power projects, high-speed rail locomotives, engineering vehicles, special containers, oversized equipment, and steel structures.

The Persian Gulf service links major Chinese loading ports with core discharge ports in the Persian Gulf region. With Suzhou and Qingdao ports as the main hubs in China, the service offers a fixed schedule of "two+ sailings per month." Utilizing a "one-port loading, one-port discharge" model, it ensures direct transit within approximately 20 days to key Persian Gulf ports such as Dammam (Saudi Arabia) and Jebel Ali (UAE). Priority berthing agreements and green customs channels further provide efficient and reliable "door-to-door" services for new energy equipment and engineering project materials.

The Northwest Europe service establishes a two-way express corridor, enabling direct connections between Asia and Northwest Europe. Outbound voyages depart from core Chinese ports like Taicang Port in Suzhou and Qinhuangdao Port in Hebei, heading directly to base ports in Northwest Europe such as Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Cuxhaven (Germany). Inbound voyages originate from Finnish ports like Kemi and Kotka, as well as the aforementioned European base ports, arriving directly at Qingdao and Changshu ports in China, with the fastest transit time of 35 days. Utilizing advanced vessel types such as the "Tian" series, "Fu" series, 68K pulp carriers, and Da-III series heavy-lift vessels, the outbound leg mainly transports steel products, ton bags, steel structures, equipment, new energy vehicles, energy storage units, and wind power components. The inbound leg primarily carries pulp, concentrates, and grains. Operating on a bi-weekly schedule, this service significantly improves logistics efficiency between Asia and Northwest Europe.

Unsurprisingly, all three new services cater to the export demands of "Made in China." However, the Northwest Europe service is the only one achieving "full loads in both directions." A closer look at the return cargo reveals that what is shipped back to China from traditional European manufacturing hubs are raw materials like pulp, concentrates, and grains, underscoring China's pivotal role as the global manufacturing center.

The reason Suzhou serves as the core departure port for these three new services lies in its status as a heavyweight in Chinese manufacturing. Taking publicly listed companies—often regarded as the "top students" in the business world—as an example, the latest data from the Suzhou Municipal Financial Office shows that Suzhou now hosts 281 listed companies, including 227 listed on domestic A-share markets (ranking 5th nationally) and 57 on the STAR Market (second only to Shanghai and Beijing). In 2025 alone, Suzhou added 16 new listed companies domestically and overseas, including 9 A-share listings, the highest number in the country.

According to Suzhou Port, its near-sea routes now essentially cover all core ports in Northeast and Southeast Asia. Efforts are also underway to enhance service levels on routes to South America (e.g., Peru's Chancay Port, Brazil, Chile) and North Africa, gradually building a comprehensive shipping and logistics network that spans east and west, connects rivers and seas, and links near- and deep-sea routes. This network provides critical support for Suzhou and surrounding enterprises expanding into overseas markets. Among these achievements, the collaboration between COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers and Suzhou Port has yielded remarkable results. In April 2025, COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers Suzhou Company was established, marking a new chapter in deepening its presence along the Yangtze River and expanding globally. In September, the direct express liner service to the West Coast of South America was launched, creating a fixed route connecting Suzhou with Chancay and the South American continent.

"Made in China" Industrial Chain Connects the Globe, Sharing Development Opportunities Worldwide

Naturally, "Made in China" does not equate to "made by Chinese manufacturers." Traditional European manufacturing powerhouses, including Germany, may not have lost their competitive edge in manufacturing. Rather, they have found more cost-effective supply chain solution providers in China, including COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers. China's supply chain serves as a global public good, thereby making "Made in Germany" and other such designations an indispensable part of the "Made in China" industrial chain.

For instance, German companies have formed significant clusters in Taicang. According to the Taicang municipal government website, since the first German-invested company, Kern-Liebers, established operations in Taicang in 1993, the total number of German enterprises had exceeded 550 by the end of April 2025. This includes over 60 "hidden champion" enterprises, with six of Germany's top ten machine tool manufacturers having a presence in Taicang. Schaeffler Group, the largest German company in Taicang, serves as a representative example. During the launch event for the new shipping routes, the European Business Investment Enterprise Association of the Taicang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone was among the signatories of strategic cooperation agreements with COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers.

Optimized Capacity Management: The Linerization of Specialized Transport

The launch of these three new routes expands COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers' (hereafter "the company") liner service portfolio from five to eight, forming a more comprehensive global service network. The company stated that its five previously established and successfully operated liner services—the Southeast Africa Direct Express, East South America BRICS Express, West South America Chancay Express, Mediterranean Liner, and Red Sea Liner—have become vital bridges connecting China with Belt and Road Initiative regions and key international economic zones, leveraging their stable weekly schedules and efficient direct services.

Reportedly, as the "national flagship in shipping," the company has transported nearly 120 million freight tons of cargo for Belt and Road projects since the initiative's inception 12 years ago. Notably, in the first ten months of 2025 alone, it handled 20.946 million freight tons, a year-on-year increase of 67.4%, establishing itself as a pioneer and leader within the shipping industry in supporting Belt and Road construction.

These achievements stem from the concerted磨合 and exploration between the company and its clients. For instance, regarding the linerization of breakbulk cargo transport, the company explained: "A significant portion of the cargo transported by our fleet directly supports infrastructure and energy projects, such as wind power equipment, high-speed rail locomotives, and engineering vehicles. Clients have extremely high logistics requirements for the transportation timeliness, safety, and customization of these oversized and heavy-lift items. We identified common client pain points in actual operations, including unstable sailing schedules, high risks associated with transporting special cargo, and difficulties in coordinating multiple cargo types—particularly where traditional irregular sailings failed to meet rigid project timelines. Our Belt and Road series liner services, including the three newly launched routes, transform uncertain schedules into predictable, stable, and efficient logistics guarantees, proactively serving and precisely aligning with our clients' project rhythms. Furthermore, the company's promotion of breakbulk cargo linerization challenges conventional industry practices, vigorously driving innovative development within the sector."

Linerizing specialized transport requires meeting multiple conditions. The company stated that to equip the Belt and Road liner services with faster transit times, denser dispatch frequencies, more economical logistics costs, and safer, more reliable freight services, it is building a matrix of "Route+," "Product+," "Channel+," and "Intelligence+." This strategy essentially focuses on both securing clients and optimizing capacity management for them.

"Route+" – COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers operates a specialized transport fleet whose scale and comprehensive strength rank among the world's foremost. It is the only shipping enterprise with successful operational experience on both the Arctic and Antarctic polar routes. The company's vessels sail between over 1,600 ports in more than 160 countries and regions, having established strong advantages on routes to Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Pan-Indian Ocean, and the Pan-Pacific, while actively developing new routes such as those to the Atlantic and Australia/New Zealand.

The company continues to densify its network and expand its service coverage based on existing foundations, aiming to systematically build a widely coverage, accessible maritime transport network connecting China with Belt and Road countries.

"Product+" – Focusing on professional strengths to create "all-round" solutions. Leveraging key cargo sources like new energy, advanced manufacturing, and bulk commodities, COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers actively utilizes its advantages in multi-vessel group and specialized operations to tailor integrated solutions combining different vessel types for clients. By elevating service levels and extending the service chain, it promotes standardization, regulation, and visibility across the entire service process. The company has developed full-chain service solutions for products like wind power, engineering machinery, commercial vehicles, and pulp, facilitating the global expansion of advanced manufacturing, including the "new three" (referring to new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products), and supporting the rapid quality improvement and upgrading of global industrial and supply chains.

"Channel+" – Strengthening node layout to enhance end-to-end delivery capabilities. From developing key base ports, dedicated berths, and specialized yards in China (e.g., Zhangjiagang, Taicang, Qingdao) to investing in strategic overseas nodes such as Peru's Chancay, Brazil's Sepetiba, Malaysia's Klang, and Greece's Piraeus—including vehicle storage yards, Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) centers, and vehicle/pulp distribution centers—COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers enhances supply chain node construction aligned with global industrial layout. It strives to strengthen high-quality ground extension services like front and backend distribution, expanding client supply chain value through high-value-added, high-efficiency service features and robust channel capabilities, truly achieving integration across geography, domains, and models.

"Intelligence+" – Adhering to innovation drive, consolidating the foundation for digital-intelligent transformation. Centered on the characteristics of specialized transport, COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers deeply cultivates intelligent capabilities across the entire cargo transport chain. In stowage, it pioneered the launch of intelligent stowage systems for six core cargo types within the industry: pulp, flat racks, industrial modules, wind power components, engineering vehicles, and automobiles. It actively promotes the intelligentization of the entire freight transport chain. Concurrently, focusing on new energy and new materials, it accelerates the integration of artificial intelligence to cultivate new quality productive forces, actively driving the digital and intelligent transformation of the specialized transport industry, and comprehensively enhancing end-to-end service capabilities from booking to delivery.

The optimization and coordination of transport capacity have earned COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers recognition from numerous clients. During the launch event, the company also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shagang Logistics. Song Jianzhong, General Manager of Shagang Logistics, stated in his address: "Logistics serves as the bridge linking production and the market, where its efficiency and cost directly impact a company's competitiveness. The cooperation between Shagang Group and COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers represents a powerful alliance and complementary strengths. We look forward to in-depth collaboration with COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers in various areas, including information sharing and resource integration."