DHL Introduces LCL New York City-South Africa Service

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, announces it is now offering a new direct Less than Container Load¹ (LCL) service from New York City to Durban, South Africa. This service will serve as a gateway for U.S. customers interested in breaking into the African market with the option of transporting small amounts of cargo. The LCL weekly service schedule that went into effect June 23, 2011 will have sailings every Thursday from New York City.

“With the expansion of direct LCL service out of the U.S. and into Africa, DHL has further strengthened its ocean freight business and market leading position”

As the largest container terminal in the Southern Hemisphere, Durban serves as a strategic location for the transportation of goods to and from 18 destinations on the southern part of the African continent. This service will allow U.S. exporters and Southern African importers to ship cargo to and from New York City directly, rather than routing via Europe. This weekly service will reduce transit times, freight costs and carbon footprint, ultimately benefiting customers interested in growing their business in the African market.

“With a considerable amount of freight coming from the Midwest to the East Coast, this service allows DHL to be a conduit for expanding trade between Africa and the entire U.S.,” said Tara Caputo, director LCL Services North America. “Customers will benefit from this service not only through accelerated transit times, but also added services such as IT management systems that control shipping transactions and DHL’s Track & Trace offering full tracking visibility.”

New York has the largest port on the East Coast of North America and in 2010 had a 16 percent increase in cargo volumes. Since 2000, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has invested $2 billion to prepare for the Port’s future growth. The Port of Durban handled over 74 million tons of cargo during the 2008/2009 fiscal year, with some of its main commodities including corn, metals, minerals, and oil and petroleum products, among others.

DHL Global Forwarding is one of the leading LCL freight forwarders in the world with complete end-to-end supply chain management that includes pick-up at origin, consolidation and deconsolidation, delivery at destination and customs clearance. With service from 34 stations throughout the U.S., DHL is able to ensure a smooth transition from freight collection to delivery by offering exceptional assembly and distribution networks at origin and destination.

“With the expansion of direct LCL service out of the U.S. and into Africa, DHL has further strengthened its ocean freight business and market leading position,” said Joseph Oguta, director of Ocean Freight and head of LCL Management Africa. “U.S. customers will have the opportunity to connect more easily with trading partners in Africa; while at the same time increasing their business efficiency and competitiveness.”

DHL recognizes LCL as being a crucial part of its total Ocean Freight offering. With close to 2 million cubic meters of LCL freight handled annually via 45,000 point pairs within the DHL in-house system, this enhanced connectivity into Africa’s largest economy will continue to reinforce the company’s position as a global leader in LCL.

DHL – The Logistics company for the world

DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “The Logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 275,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 51 billion euros in 2010.

¹ LCL services refer to smaller amounts of ocean freight cargo that are insufficient to fill a Full Container Load (FCL). The service is widely used by customers across many industries as it offers the flexibility of shipping smaller quantities in a timely manner.