Danmar Lines, DHL Global Forwarding's in-house carrier, launched two direct less-than-container-load services from Shenzhen, China, to Europe.

Danmar said the services to Aarhus, Denmark, and Helsinki, Finland, will reduce transit time by up to three days, taking 28 days for the former and 29 days for the latter. The direct services avoid routing through Hong Kong.

In November, DHL launched a direct LCL service from Shenzhen to Gothenburg, Sweden. The expansion benefits small and medium enterprises in South China, especially in the cities of Dongguan, Foshan, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, DHL said.

Foreign trade in Shenzhen rose 26.5 percent to $117.18 billion in the first five months of 2010, according to Shenzhen Customs. Exports increased 19.5 percent to $67.57 billion. From January to May, container traffic in the port of Shenzhen reached 8.548 million 20-foot equivalent units, up 28.1 percent year-over-year.

Source: JOC