Lineas and CSP Zeebrugge have partnered up to provide COSCO Shipping Lines with an alternative solution to the Red Sea-affected route. As the two companies said, the solution comes in response to the logistical challenges caused by ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels, which have made the usual route along the Red Sea and via the port of Piraeus, Greece, temporarily impossible for COSCO Shipping Lines.

The need to find an alternative route quickly brought Lineas and CSP Zeebrugge together to create an efficient and flexible solution. The train service between Zeebrugge and Graz provides a fast and reliable connection for the delivery of freight from Belgium to Austria.

Bernard Gustin, Executive Chairman of Lineas, stated, “We are pleased that we were able to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges faced by our COSCO Group partners. This new connection highlights the flexibility of our network, and we are committed to continuing to provide innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

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Tom De Wannemacker, Business Development Manager at CSP Zeebrugge, added, “The cooperation with Lineas allows us to maintain the reliability and customer focus of our service, even in challenging times. We are very pleased with the speed and flexibility with which Lineas has been able to implement this solution, and we look forward to further expanding our freight transport capabilities.”

Elsewhere, the heavy transport division of COSCO Shipping has also been affected by the Red Sea situation. The company’s semi-submersible deck carrier Xiang Rui Kou is taking the long way around the Cape of Good Hope with project cargo onboard.

The vessel is delivering the NMDC Dredge Marwah to Great Bitter Lake in Egypt.