Given that Serbia sees China as the most important external trade and financial partner in Asia, the establishment of a direct connection with Chinese ports has given new impetus to improving economic cooperation.
„With the improvement of transport conditions, the interest of foreign companies in investing in Serbia is growing. The Land-Sea Express service directly contributed to making Serbia a desirable location for investments, primarily by Chinese companies,“ says Vladimir Lekić, Director of Dragon Maritime SEE, in an interview for Diplomacy&Commerce magazine.
Thanks to Dragon Maritime SEE, the general agent and agent of Cosco Shipping Lines, Belgrade has become a regional hub for the development of intermodal transport. How much did that affect Chinese investments in Serbia?
Since the launch of the Land-Sea Express service in 2017, we have seen a continuous growth of container cargo from the People’s Republic of China, which is, among other things, the result of a significant increase in Chinese investments and numerous joint projects implemented by Serbia and the People’s Republic of China. Given that Serbia sees China as the most important external trade and financial partner in Asia, the establishment of a direct connection with Chinese ports has given new impetus to improving economic cooperation. The unique and competitive service we provide has generated great interest among Chinese clients, and in recent years, we have achieved excellent cooperation with Chinese companies in Serbia such as Zijin Bor, HBIS, Hisense, Johnson Electric, China Railway, etc.
To what extent has your company’s business contributed to the development of cooperation between Serbia and China?
Serbia plays a significant role in China’s Belt and Road initiative due to its strategic position on Corridor X, which is the main route for container shipments via the Land-Sea Express service between the port of Piraeus and Central European countries. The unique service we offer to our clients, with efficient transit time along the entire transport route which stretches between the main Chinese ports and Belgrade, has attracted the interest of Chinese companies and contributed to Serbia becoming a desirable strategic location for new Chinese investors.
The intermodal service provided by the COSCO SHIPPING Company shortens the total transit time from the Far East by 5 to 7 days compared to the traditional routing of container shipments across the Adriatic ports.
Your services are used for transporting goods that need fast transit time and efficient delivery. What kind of clients have you attracted with this kind of quality and what kind of clients are you still expecting to attract?
The mentioned intermodal service provided by the COSCO SHIPPING Company shortens the total transit time from the Far East by 5 to 7 days compared to the traditional routing of container shipments across the Adriatic ports. Many clients, both manufacturing and retail companies from different sectors, have expressed strong interest in the service.
In addition to the great interest shown by import companies, this service is very important for the export flows of container shipments from Serbia to other overseas destinations. In addition to the traditional export cargo transported by sea, this transport route has become the primary choice for the transport of copper ore, which is growing to be one of the most important Serbian exports to China and the Far East.
How and to what extent did the pandemic affect the company’s business and what are your expectations regarding the further development of the business during COVID-19?
The global consequences of COVID-19 on the international maritime transport market have significantly affected our company’s operations. Namely, as a consequence of the pandemic, maritime freight from the Far East to Europe increased by 700 to 800% compared to the period before the pandemic. At the same time, the availability of ship space has been maximally limited and the total transit time on all routes has been extended due to numerous congestions in both loading and transhipment ports. In the given circumstances, it is very difficult to predict further market trends, but there are expectations that 2022 will bring some stabilization in the global maritime transport market.