A tiger follows a panda
Shipper’s shipping line Tailwind starts second service in March. Nobody can blame shippers for getting fed up with the lack of schedule reliability offered by the major carriers in 2022. The German retail corporation Lidl is now set to trial a second service operated by its own shipping line.
An experimental project carried out by the German shipper Lidl is continuing. Tailwind Shipping Lines, a shipping enterprise launched by the German retail corporation in 2022, is now launching its second Asia–Europe service, called the Tiger Express (Tex).
It’s named after the Bengal tiger, the national animal of Bangladesh – which fits well into the line’s regional relevance and its planned cargo.
This second service follows on the heels of the launch of the line’s first service in 2022, the Panda Express, which connects China with the European ports of Koper, Barcelona and Rotterdam. The second service, which will run fortnightly, will start on 16 March this year.
The tiger’s textiles
The service, which will use the Bengali port of Chattogram as a starting point, will connect the region to the ports of Limassol, Barcelona and Moerdijk. According to unconfirmed reports the ‘Panda 002’ and the ‘Solong’, each of which can carry 803 teu, will be deployed, and possibly the 917 teu ‘Faith’, built in 2006.
In view of the ongoing slowing economy and the foreseeable overcapacity of shipping space, Tailwind underlined the fact that its new Tex service will focus particularly on transporting textiles from Bangladesh. The textile industry is a crucial element of the country’s economy, accounting for more than 10% of its total gross domestic product.
A Tailwind spokesperson clarified its strategy of aiming for the most direct transit possible, with as few port calls as possible, and of using smaller vessels that can call at less busy ports. The rapid transit, faster transhipment and proximity to agglomerations will ensure its advantage. It remains to be seen whether the calculations work out.