DHL Global Forwarding has added a weekly sailing from Shanghai to Dubai, bringing the number of its direct less-than-container-load (LCL) services connecting China and the United Arab Emirates to three.

This additional service also extends to some other major cities in the Middle East such as Doha and Kuwait. China-based exporters have the choice of two sailings, with transit times to the Middle East of either 17 or 19 days. With this shipping service, the company said in a statement that it is reducing CO2 emissions by 5.56 per cent compared to its previous non-direct service routed via Hong Kong.

The extra service is in response to growing demand on this trade lane and is in keeping with the company's plans to expand its LCL network in China. "Our new services from Shanghai to Dubai are a direct response to a rise in cooperation in recent years between China and these new emerging economies in the Middle East," said Asia Pacific CEO Dr. Kelvin Leung.

The company's network currently comprises 1,100 weekly point pairs from 49 Asia Pacific terminals sailing to 23 destination terminals in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

China CEO Steve Huang added: "Besides Shanghai and nearby cities such as Hangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Nanjing, Chinese exporters can also enjoy the LCL service through our terminals located in Xuzhou, Hefei, Lianyungang, Changsha and even Chengdu in western China. In addition to cities from UAE including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah and Sharjah, the destinations also involve major cities from the Middle East including Bahrain, Jeddah, PS Qaboos and Riyadh."