DHL launches new direct LCL Service from Nhava Sheva to Los Angeles

Plantation, FL, 07/08/2010

DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, announced today the launch of its new direct Less than Container Load (LCL) service from Nhava Sheva, India to Los Angeles, USA. Operated by Danmar Lines, DHL’s in-house carrier, the new service will facilitate trade between India and the U.S. and offers customers reliable and cost-effective services with a reduced transit time of 26 days between the two ports.

Container traffic at major ports in India surged 21.5 percent in April compared with a year earlier, driven by a strong turnaround in the country’s foreign trade. Nhava Sheva is the largest port in India and handles close to 60% of the total containerized cargo in India. Ranked among the top 30 ports in the world, Nhava Sheva alone handled over 4 million TEUs in 2007-2008 .

"The launch of DHL's new LCL service from Nhava Sheva to Los Angeles is strategically planned in time to meet the growth of foreign trade amidst the global economic recovery. DHL dedicates substantial resources to continue developing and maintaining highly effective services that include traditional LCL services and multi-vendor buyers’ consolidations for shipments sourced from single and multiple countries,” said Christoph Remund, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Lemuir Logistics Pvt. Ltd.

“Since the launch of LCL services from India to the Port of New York in 2007 we have seen tremendous growth year over year.” Expanding our offerings to Los Angeles, the largest port in the United States, underlines our commitment to offer the best-in-class solutions for customers in this important and growing market,” said Tara Caputo, Director LCL Services North America, DHL Global Forwarding.

“DHL is rapidly expanding its LCL network. We feel it is important to offer a direct service to customers rather than transship their cargo.” With our new direct weekly LCL services customers will no longer have to hold shipments destined for the U.S. for a Full Container Load (FCL) and are able to react to market conditions faster in a changing economy,” she added.

As one of the largest Ocean Freight service providers for Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-than-Container Load (LCL) shipments, DHL currently operates the world’s largest LCL network with close to 2,000,000 cubic meters of LCL freight handled annually via 45,000 point-pairs.

DHL press release