The signed agreement between the two ports initiates a trial call by a container freighter from Kawa Shipping, initially loaded with 2,400 TEU. The vessel is scheduled to depart Ningbo on 30 December 2024, with a sailing time of 26 days, and is expected to arrive at JadeWeserPort (JWP) in Wilhelmshaven on 24 January 2025.
The launch of a continuous schedule is planned for mid-2025 under the name China-Europe Express (CEX). In addition to the maritime connection between the two continents, plans are in place to establish a continuous rail transport service from Wilhelmshaven to Budapest.
As part of the first call, Kawa Shipping will test the introduction of CEX to optimise transport times and improve the reliability of logistics. The aim is to efficiently connect the European hinterland—including the CECZ in Hungary—via the trimodal connection of JWP.
The initiator of this new route is the Zhejiang Seaport Logistics Group, which recently established operations in Wilhelmshaven on a 33,000-square-metre site within the P3 logistics park (Singapore).
The project was formalised at the CIIE through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Alongside the Zhejiang Seaport Logistics Group and Kawa Shipping, the agreement was also signed by the Central European Trade and Logistics Cooperation Zone (CECZ) and Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven JadeWeserPort-Marketing (CTW JWP-M).