China to Europe Ocean Rise Express: Yantian to Rotterdam in 25 Days

For cross-border eCommerce sellers shipping from China to Europe, ocean freight speed has been one of the biggest concerns over the past two years. Since the Red Sea situation escalated, most Asia-Europe shipping routes have been diverted around the Cape of Good Hope to reduce risk. While this helped carriers avoid unstable waters, it also added around 10 to 14 days to the traditional sailing schedule, affecting freight costs, delivery timelines, and inventory replenishment plans for European sellers.

 

 

Recently, however, a noticeable change has started to emerge. Some leading shipping lines are beginning to test and partially restore transit through the Suez Canal. In addition to Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd gradually resuming or testing selected Red Sea services, CMA CGM’s newly launched Ocean Rise Express, also known as the OCR shipping route, has drawn strong attention from the market.

 

CMA CGM OCR Makes Its Maiden Voyage

After a long period of Red Sea disruption, a major Asia-Europe express service has officially returned to the Suez route.

 

CMA CGM’s new Ocean Rise Express service officially made its maiden voyage in April. The first sailing called at Xiamen on April 9 and Yantian on April 11, making it one of the first major Asia-Europe services in the market to resume transit through the Suez Canal.

 

Compared with the Cape of Good Hope diversion, which generally adds 10 to 14 days to the voyage, the OCR shipping route brings Asia-Europe ocean freight back to the traditional shortest path.

 

OCR Port Rotation

The OCR service follows this port rotation:

Kobe — Nagoya — Yokohama — Xiamen — Yantian — Rotterdam — Hamburg — Southampton — Nansha — Kobe

The route focuses on key ports in Northern Europe, making it especially attractive for South China exporters and cross-border sellers shipping goods from Yantian and Xiamen to major European markets.

 

▲ OCR route map, source: CMA CGM official website

 

How Fast Was the First OCR Sailing?

The first sailing was operated by CMA CGM TOSCA 0R100W1MA.

The vessel departed from Yantian on April 12 as scheduled. It arrived at the Port of Rotterdam on the afternoon of May 7, achieving a transit time of 25 days. It then arrived at the Port of Hamburg at noon on May 10, with a transit time of 28 days.

 

By comparison, routes diverted around the Cape of Good Hope generally required around 38 to 40 days based on March market data. This means the OCR route can save approximately 14 days on the overall transit time.

 

▲ CMA CGM TOSCA vessel tracking map

 

Based on the actual performance of the maiden voyage, the sailing schedule was generally consistent with the official transit time announced by the carrier.

 

▲ CMA CGM OCR transit time: Yantian to Rotterdam in 25 days

 

What This Means for Cross-Border eCommerce Sellers

For sellers relying on China to Europe ocean freight, the return of a faster Suez-based service is more than just a route update. It directly affects inventory planning, replenishment cycles, cost control, and fulfillment stability.

 

Since the Red Sea crisis began in 2023, more than 90% of Asia-Europe services have been diverted around Africa for a prolonged period. The direct impact has included longer voyages, extended European replenishment cycles, higher ocean freight costs, and less predictable transit performance.

 

With CMA CGM’s OCR service restoring the Suez route, sellers may benefit from a more stable weekly service, significantly improved transit times, and a more predictable replenishment schedule.

 

The OCR service currently operates on a weekly basis and deploys 14 vessels ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 TEU. Its overall schedule stability is stronger than many temporary extra-loader solutions in the market. Supported by CMA CGM’s dedicated escort arrangements and route access advantages, the service offers European cross-border sellers a more balanced ocean freight option with faster transit, steadier pricing, and more reliable sailings.

 

For eCommerce businesses that depend on timely inventory arrivals, this improvement can make a real difference. Faster China to Europe ocean freight helps sellers reduce stockout risks, improve sales planning, and respond more flexibly to seasonal demand.

 

Forest Shipping Connects Sellers with Dedicated EU Ocean Freight Solutions

As the global shipping market continues to change, Forest Shipping has taken active steps to support sellers shipping from China to Europe. New Eurostar, Forest Shipping’s dedicated brand for European cross-border logistics, has officially connected with CMA CGM OCR space resources to provide customized, efficient, stable, and cost-effective EU ocean freight solutions for cross-border eCommerce sellers.

 

The service is designed to solve common logistics pain points through door-to-door support and one-stop shipping management.

 

New Eurostar EU Ocean Freight: Dedicated OCR Express Service

Stable Space Resources

New Eurostar EU ocean freight has secured access to fixed OCR space resources, with stable weekly departures from Yantian and Xiamen. Full-container booking is also supported for sellers with larger shipment volumes.

Faster Transit Time

Based on the carrier’s official route data, the OCR express service offers the following estimated transit times:

Yantian to Rotterdam: 25 days

Yantian to Hamburg: 28 days

Xiamen to Rotterdam: 27 days

Xiamen to Hamburg: 30 days

Overall, this is around 10 to 14 days faster than traditional services diverted around the Cape of Good Hope.

 

For sellers managing Europe cross-border eCommerce logistics, this shorter transit time can help improve inventory turnover, reduce waiting time, and make replenishment plans more predictable.

 

EU-Compliant Customs Clearance

Forest Shipping provides customs clearance support through its own clearance team and local EU AEO-qualified resources. The service also supports VAT deferment, helping reduce customs clearance pressure and inspection risks for sellers shipping to the European market.

 

Complete European Final-Mile Coverage

Forest Shipping has built self-operated overseas warehouse capabilities in key European regions. The company supports delivery to Amazon FBA warehouses, third-party overseas warehouses, and private addresses. Sellers can choose flexible delivery combinations, including ocean freight plus truck delivery or ocean freight plus courier delivery, depending on shipment needs.

This makes the service suitable for different business models, including Amazon sellers, marketplace sellers, DTC brands, and cross-border eCommerce companies that need more flexible European fulfillment solutions.

 

A New Efficiency Cycle for Europe Ocean Freight

In 2026, the global shipping landscape is still changing. As some Asia-Europe services gradually resume transit through the Suez Canal, Europe-bound ocean freight is moving from a long period of diversion into a new stage of efficiency recovery.

 

For cross-border sellers, choosing a stable, efficient, and controllable logistics partner is not only about shipping goods. It is also about protecting delivery promises, improving inventory planning, and strengthening market competitiveness.

 

Forest Shipping will continue to follow global shipping developments closely, integrate reliable carrier resources, and combine them with local European fulfillment capabilities. Through solutions such as the OCR shipping route and New Eurostar EU ocean freight, Forest Shipping helps sellers build faster, more stable, and more manageable logistics channels from China to Europe, giving them a stronger position in an increasingly competitive market.