BALTIMORE — A major Israeli shipping company is launching an e-commerce service to Baltimore this month, promising "a highly competitive alternative to air freight."
ZIM Shipping Service, one of the world's top ocean carrier container companies, will start making regular trips from China and southeast Asia into the Port of Baltimore, announced Maryland Port Administration today.
The new ZIM Ecommerce Baltimore Express will help fill a "substantial" rise in demand for import/export of container cargo, says the Port Administration.
The express line "offers its customers the fastest transit time from Asia to Baltimore, guaranteed space, and equipment without rolling, late cutoff from Asia ports, a dedicated out-of-gate lane, and expedited rail/air/road connections to inland destinations."
Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement: “ZIM’s commitment to the Port of Baltimore is another indication that the international maritime shipping industry recognizes Maryland’s role as a critical gateway to American markets.”
Eli Glickman, ZIM President and CEO, said: "The opening of this new service is another example of our efforts to develop our speedy and dedicated premium lines, which constitute a highly competitive alternative to air freight. As part of our vision and strategy, we are taking initiatives to support our customers especially during this difficult time of supply chain disruptions."
The new service will start with bi-weekly frequency and build up to being weekly.
ZIM, a 77-year-old company, has a fleet of almost 100 vessels and trade lanes in the Transpacific, Cross Atlantic, Cross Suez, Intra-Asia, and Latin America. The company also noted today it is temporarily suspending all services to and from Ukraine and Russia.
