Cosco Shipping opens sea and air logistics centre in Guangzhou

BEIJING : China’s Cosco Shipping has opened a sea and air logistics centre in Guangzhou Airport’s economic zone.

The facility is to include warehousing, logistics, e-commerce and other value-added services.

Its opening marks the start of the Shanghai-headquartered company’s regional supply chain platform in southeast China.

Cosco Shipping Logistics chairman Han Jun said: “This logistics park applies [a] smart management system, which can make the best use of visualisation, digitalisation and intelligent technology to build a safe, convenient, efficient and green park.

“This project is in line with the national Great Bay Area development strategy and we will increase investments in core resources and accelerate upgrading [to create an] integrated logistics supply chain.”

Cosco is not the only shipping line to have entered the airfreight space of late.

CMA CGM, Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have all invested aircraft or entered partnerships to develop their own cargo airlines.

CMA CGM Air Cargo is partnering with Air France-KLM and recently launched flights to Shanghai.

Maersk has bought and leased aircraft, purchased freight forwarder Senator International (rebranded as Maersk Air Freight) and set up a subsidiary airline, Maersk Air Cargo, which began operations in October 2022

Atlas Air took delivery in November 2022 of the first Boeing B777-200 freighter that it will operate on behalf of MSC.