On 24 September, the ZFS service was formally inaugurated as the Zim Wilmington departed from Xiamen Port International Container Terminal.
On 24 September, the ZFS service was formally inaugurated as the Zim Wilmington departed from Xiamen Port International Container Terminal. The route marks Fujian Province's first weekly direct service to South America's east coast, operated through a partnership between Zim Integrated Shipping Services and Hapag-Lloyd. Deploying a fleet of 11 container vessels with capacities ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 TEUs, the service establishes a reliable and dedicated trade corridor connecting Fujian's export-oriented enterprises with markets across Latin America.
The ZFS service links Xiamen Port directly to five major ports along Brazil's eastern seaboard ?Rio Grande, Itaja? Paranagu? Rio de Janeiro, and Santos. Through dedicated feeder extensions, the route's reach expands further to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay; and via transshipment connections, it extends inland to Manaus, Vitoria, and ports serving Paraguay's interior. Together, these connections form a comprehensive shipping network spanning South America's east coast and its hinterland regions.
Transit efficiency stands as the ZFS service's most compelling advantage. Voyages from Xiamen to Rio Grande, one of Brazil's principal hub ports, are completed in just 27 days, while the Santos routing requires only 39 days ?seven to twenty days faster than conventional transhipment alternatives, delivering a substantial improvement in logistics lead times. Operating on a stable weekly schedule with consistent capacity supply, the service accommodates new energy vehicles, hazardous goods, refrigerated containers, and specialised cargo units, comprehensively addressing export demand for high-value commodities such as lithium batteries and energy storage systems. It provides hinterland enterprises with an efficient logistics corridor into South American markets.
As trade and economic activity between China and South America's emerging markets continues to intensify ?driven by steadily growing bilateral demand for automobiles, electromechanical equipment, and agricultural products ?this service is positioned to become a significant engine of bilateral trade growth.
To facilitate the inaugural sailing, customs, maritime, and border control authorities provided strong coordinated support, deploying green-channel and priority-operation mechanisms to complete advance vessel arrival approvals and pre-scheduled border inspection arrangements. The result was zero waiting time upon arrival and zero delay on departure. Xiamen Container Group's Haicang Joint Operations Centre engaged Zim in advance to refine operational planning, coordinating berth scheduling and yard allocation with precision. For the specialised cargo units that the service prioritises ?including energy storage containers and refrigerated boxes ?the terminal optimised loading and unloading procedures, allocated dedicated operational resources, and reinforced on-site safety management, ensuring the inaugural vessel was handled with full efficiency and laying a strong foundation for the route's ongoing regular operations.
The launch of the ZFS service further strengthens Xiamen Port's deep-sea mainline network and represents a concrete step in advancing the port-shipping-trade integration development philosophy, responding directly to Fujian exporters' growing capacity requirements. It materially enhances Xiamen Port's logistics reach and influence across South American trade lanes.
Looking ahead, Xiamen Port will continue to deepen its collaborative engagement with carriers and cargo owners, leveraging the Strait Public Feeder Platform and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor to empower hinterland enterprises. The port will actively explore new pathways for optimising the full chain of shipping, port, and trade operations ?advancing Xiamen Port's high-quality development and injecting sustained momentum into the high-quality co-development of the Belt and Road Initiative and the domestic-international dual-circulation framework.
