Cathay Cargo has successfully trialled and introduced a third intermodal link for perishable imports into the Greater Bay Area (GBA) via sea.

The cargo division of Cathay Pacific said that the new mode between Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and the GBA, adds to the established direct air-to-air links to Guangzhou and the Air-Land Fresh Lane, which enables truck transfers to the GBA via Zhuhai under a single air waybill and transhipment certificate, using the existing trucking network.

Imported premium perishables to Hong Kong can now be brought by sea directly from HKIA to the HKIA Logistics Park in Dongguan.

The sea link had been in use for other types of cargo since 2023.

The HKIA Logistics Park in Dongguan was originally designed to support export flows, enabling them to be screened and built up at Dongguan, then transported directly to HKIA airside by barge.

It then developed to be used as an import route for general cargo from late 2024. The terminal has further improved its capabilities to support refrigerated transfers of fresh goods into the GBA – home to an 80m strong consumer market – operating within the convenience of a “one air waybill, one carrier” cargo ecosystem.

Coconut and tuna trials

In February and March, Cathay Cargo oversaw trials of the new intermodal link with coconut consignments from Thailand and fresh tuna shipments from Spain, using the Cathay Fresh solution.

In the case of the tuna shipments, the consignments remained on their pallets after landing at HKIA and were transferred to the Cathay Cargo Terminal for temporary cold storage.

The pallets were then transferred to the airside pier in a cool dolly for loading into a reefer container and then onto a barge.

“The intermodal leg was carried out without needing to break down the shipment, greatly reducing the risk of temperature excursion for this high-value fresh fish,” said May Chung, Cathay’s cargo sales manager GBA.

“These tuna shipments are ongoing and now running as ‘business as usual’ shipments,” added Chung. “With Cathay Cargo as the carrier and our Cathay Cargo Terminals in Hong Kong and Dongguan as the joint operator, this really is an all-in-one process.”

She also highlighted that this import process will soon be able to offer cost advantages at scale. Currently, the northbound barges can accommodate up to three reefer containers that can hold a single PAG pallet in their own reefer, but there are plans to add more refrigerated stowage on board in the coming months.

More choice

While this latest intermodal route runs more slowly than the Air-Land Fresh Lane truck service to Zhuhai over the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge, or (depending on timing) the three direct widebody passenger services that operate daily to Guangzhou, the new mode broadens the choice of timings and GBA destinations available to customers, pointed out Cathay Cargo.

Chung noted that consignees enjoy the convenience of being able to collect shipments directly from a cold storage space on the pier at Dongguan.

The cold storage located at the pier enables cargo to be unloaded from ships by crane on to shore and placed straight into cold storage.

This minimises temperature fluctuations exposure in the ambient environment “Additionally, we may be able to offer some flexibility regarding the timings of vessel departures, which is not possible with the flights,” Chung added.

Toby Griffiths, head of cargo global sales and customer solutions, said: “We’re grateful to our partners for working with us on these trials helping to ensure their success; we’re really excited that we can now offer our customers, worldwide, three intermodal routes into the GBA for premium produce, via three different entry points. It means more choice for them, with each mode offering its own advantages.”

In September last year, Cathay Cargo became the first airline to utilise the Air-Land Fresh Lane to improve the efficiency of moving goods across the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB).