Due to the situation in the Red Sea, transit times for pure ocean freight have become somewhat unstable. Consequently, over the past two years, many freight forwarders have launched multimodal transport services combining Central Asia rail transport with Middle East ocean shipping.
Under this model, cargo is transported by rail from China to a coastal port in the Middle East and then transshipped onto a vessel bound for Dubai. This route offers faster transit times than pure ocean freight-saving a few days-while remaining significantly cheaper than air freight. However, relatively few freight forwarders currently offer this service, and there is still room for greater transparency regarding route details. It is advisable to confirm with the forwarder beforehand whether end-to-end tracking is provided and how liability is allocated in the event of force majeure.