As of the end of November 2026, the China Africa Link will link three Chinese ports to the ports of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Maputo, Mozambique. This service must offer new transport options to operators and accompany trade between Asia and the African continent.
DP World plans to launch a new weekly maritime link between China and Eastern and Southern Africa at the end of November 2026. Named China Africa Link, it will be operated by the Group's Shipping Solutions AMEA branch.
Its route will include the ports of Shanghai, Ningbo and Nansha, China, then Port Klang Westport, Malaysia, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Maputo, Mozambique, and Singapore, before the return to Shanghai according to the port operator
This rotation should strengthen the connections between the main Chinese export ports and two African markets. In particular, it will provide additional routes for freight transport between the Far East and Africa.
The flows concerned may include machinery, electronic equipment, construction materials and automotive components from China. In the opposite direction, the service will be able to transport agricultural products, minerals and other African raw materials.
DP World puts this new link in its approach « Connected Commercial Corridors » (Connected Trade Corridors), which combines maritime services, port infrastructure and land transport.
According to Ganesh Raj, Director of Global Operations for Marine Services at DP World, the service needs to provide more choice and flexibility to customers in the face of changing international trade. The aim is to facilitate connections between markets and to support the movement of goods on supply chains.
The launch takes place in a context of Group investments in African port infrastructure. In Mozambique, DP World is carrying out a project to extend Maputo's container terminal by 165 million dollars, more than doubling its processing capacity.
In Tanzania, the group committed more than $500 million for the modernization of the port of Dar es Salaam. These port projects support the development of the new maritime link and trade between Asia and Africa.
