New Direct Connection to East Africa: With the China-Kenya-Express (CKX) Service

Hapag-Lloyd entered the East African market in 2018 with the launch of its East Africa Service. The China-Kenya-Express (CKX) service will expand our network by adding an additional connection to East Africa. And what makes it particularly special is its very short transit times.

Raw materials from East Africa for Europe; car parts and motorcycles from India; electronics, furniture and construction materials from Asia for the East African market: In a nutshell, these are the main flows of goods that the CKX will be aiming for.

With its weekly sailings, the new service will provide a direct connection between the most important ports of Asia and Mombasa in Kenya.

“At the moment, there is a major imbalance in this service because more is imported into East Africa than exported,” adds Maneesh Goel, Owner’s Representative East & North Africa. “But there is increasing demand for raw materials from East Africa for the European market, especially coffee. So we are receiving more and more inquiries from our customers about this service.”

The Port of Mombasa offers important access to the East African market – and particularly to the landlocked countries connected by hinterland transport, such as Uganda. Colombo is being called before and after Mombasa. This port in south-western Sri Lanka is a key transit point for flows of goods bound for Europe and the Middle East. That’s also what makes this service so attractive, as it offers a very short connection to Hapag-Lloyd’s global liner network.

“Africa is an important growth market for us, and the China-Kenya-Express is another step towards achieving our Strategy 2023 goals,” says Sascha Godemann, Senior Manager Pricing/Steering EMAO.

The China-Kenya-Express service is operated as a slot charter service in partnership with Evergreen, Cosco Shipping and X-Press Feeders.