Cosco shipping car carriers (CSCC) and Neptune Lines, a Mediterranean short-sea RoRo operator, have signed a strategic agreement to establish an automotive supply chain hub at Piraeus Port, identified as the Mediterranean gateway of COSCO SHIPPING Group, according to Xinde Marine News.
The collaboration will connect 21 ports across 12 countries in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and North Africa, including Koper (Slovenia), Alexandria (Egypt), Limassol (Cyprus), and ports in Turkey, Romania, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Malta, and Black Sea regions.
The partnership integrates China-Greece mainline shipping with local feeder routes, providing door-to-door visibility from Chinese factories to end customers. It utilizes Cosco’s global network of shipping, ports, and logistics for full-chain services from marine transport to global delivery.
Starting March 2024, the service offers a 30-day transit from China to Mediterranean ports, with initial monthly sailings scaling to bi-weekly by the end of 2024, supported by the delivery of 13 newbuild vessels.
A hub-and-spoke model from Piraeus covers 5 North African countries, Black Sea ports, and major European markets.
Additional logistics services include bonded storage hubs for long-term storage, PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection), and tax advantages, alongside multimodal distribution via barge, rail, and truck networks across Europe.
The model builds on CSCC’s Zeebrugge operations, where 99% of cargo uses “shipping + warehousing” solutions, handling over 10,000 vehicles for Chinese automakers.
Neptune Lines contributes over 40 years of short-sea experience, while CSCC leverages Cosco’s resources and newbuilding capacity to support the corridor amid increasing Chinese EV exports.
Cosco shipping car carriers (CSCC) is a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Group, headquartered in Shanghai, specializing in vehicle transportation with a focus on expanding global automotive logistics networks.
Neptune Lines is a Greek shipping company founded in 1975, based in Piraeus, operating a fleet of RoRo vessels for short-sea transport across the Mediterranean and surrounding regions.
Cosco shipping Group is a Chinese state-owned conglomerate, established in 2016 through the merger of COSCO and China Shipping, managing one of the world’s largest shipping fleets and port operations, headquartered in Shanghai.
