Arabian Gulf: a. hartrodt expands LCL network
Weekly groupage services Bremerhaven–Jebel Ali with onward transportation in the region.
Starting in early July 2023, a. hartrodt will offer weekly groupage services between Bremerhaven and the hub port of Jebel Ali in Dubai (United Arab Emirates, UAE) with 27 days vessel transit time. Through its local partner, which is represented throughout the Middle East, a. hartrodt also offers further services such as warehousing, order picking and distribution. "We go into the region together with our associated company BHS Spedition und Logistik in Bremen," says Malte Mahnke, Agents & Network Manager at a. hartrodt in Hamburg. BHS manages the Less than Container Load (LCL) services to the Arabian Gulf with a fixed single point of contact for customers.
Focus on expanding agent network
Worldwide, a. hartrodt is present in 46 countries with subsidiaries and associated companies. A particularity is the region Middle East and Africa, with no own branch offices except in South Africa. "The focus here is on expanding the network with agents that we can use like our own branch office," explains Arndt Sonntag, Trade Lane Manager EMEA for the a. hartrodt Group and BHS in Bremen. New business is also to be developed for the Gulf region via agents.
Greatest growth potential in Saudi Arabia
Arndt Sonntag, who is regularly on site in the countries, sees the greatest growth potential in Saudi Arabia: "The market is currently opening up more and more, visible above all in high infrastructure investments or easier customs clearance". For example, via Jebel Ali, a. hartrodt offers regular feeder services to the Gulf port of Dammam with a transit time of five days, as well as six-day overland transports to the capital Riyadh with door-to-door services. "From medical products to machinery and plant components, almost everything is imported on the Arabian Peninsula", says Arndt Sonntag.
The new LCL product offers customers "flexible and reliable ocean transports at very attractive conditions", according to Arndt Sonntag. Customers can optimize general cargo costs and save up to 50 percent on typical 20-foot container loads.