Photo: PantherMedia/Nightman1965
The Swiss chemical industry – primarily located in the Rhine region – relies on secure transport routes. Sea freight is considered a reliable option. Dachser advertises its secure sea freight groupage containers and weekly direct connections to and from Asia and America.
Companies in the chemical industry have been using less-than-container-load (LCL) sea freight services for years. Demand has risen considerably in these economically turbulent times. High sea freight rates, a shortage of empty containers, ad-hoc cancellations of sailings, delayed port arrivals, fragile global supply chains, production bottlenecks, and fluctuating demand are all reinforcing this trend.
The major advantage of groupage containers is that customers can send even smaller shipments cost-effectively, thus maintaining a continuous flow of goods. For ocean freight groupage, the sea freight team consolidates various LCL partial shipments and loads them into a full container load (FCL). This optimized container utilization creates the basis for economical transport costs and sustainable shipping.
S. Haller
“Safety is always paramount for the chemical industry, whose shipments can also contain hazardous materials,” says Samuel Haller, Country Management Air & Sea Switzerland. “Dachser brings its global expertise in hazardous materials to the groupage container sector and covers all LCL-compliant IMO classes within its own network and partner network,” he adds. A central hazardous materials management system and over 250 dedicated regional hazardous materials officers worldwide monitor compliance with specific regulations for hazardous materials transport. Furthermore, many employees receive annual training to meet the specific requirements of chemical logistics. This specialized industry experience is consolidated within a dedicated “Chem Logistics Team.”.
“With a focus on the major global routes, we are also continuously expanding our hazardous goods capacities, naturally serving the major markets of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, such as China, India, and the USA,” says Haller. In 2021, Dachser was able to ship around 19,700 cubic meters of hazardous goods as LCL shipments to customers in the chemical industry under insured conditions.
Once a week, LCL (less than containerized) containers also travel directly from ports such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Ningbo to Switzerland, in addition to Hamburg. Direct shipments minimize the risk of cargo damage and provide added security because deconsolidation at the transit terminal is eliminated.
