Pacific International Lines to Launch China-Bangladesh Service

Pacific International Lines (PIL) is preparing to introduce a new shipping service known as the China-Chittagong Express (CCE), which will directly connect key ports in China with those in Bangladesh. This service is scheduled to commence on August 31.

The CCE will provide direct shipping links from the Chinese ports of Ningbo, Shanghai, and Shekou to Chittagong in Bangladesh. The service will follow the route Ningbo-Shanghai-Shekou-Chittagong-Ningbo, offering weekly sailings with transit times ranging from 9 to 14 days from China to Bangladesh.

This new service will significantly reduce transit times for shipments from China to Bangladesh, nearly halving the duration compared to existing routes that require transshipment through Singapore. Currently, goods transported from China to Chittagong via older services take approximately 20 to 22 days.

Given that about 70% of the raw materials for Bangladesh’s ready-made garments industry are imported from China, this new service is expected to speed up deliveries and lower costs by bypassing transshipment ports.