CULines has officially introduced its new CN1 service, expanding its intra-Asia network with a dedicated weekly container shipping connection between key Chinese export centres and two of Indonesia’s main gateway ports.
The new service provides direct calls at Shanghai and Ningbo in China, followed by westbound calls at Jakarta and Surabaya, two of Indonesia’s principal commercial and industrial container hubs.
The launch addresses a longstanding limitation in China-Indonesia container flows. Before CN1 entered service, a significant share of cargo moving between East China and Indonesia was routed through third-country transshipment hubs, particularly Singapore and Port Klang. Such routings added transit time and increased handling costs for both exporters and importers.
By removing those intermediate transshipment stops, CULines says the CN1 service is designed to offer shorter transit times, greater schedule reliability and lower overall logistics costs for cross-border cargo moving between China and Indonesia.
The new weekly loop also reinforces CULines’ broader Southeast Asia network. Earlier in 2026, the carrier introduced several Indonesia-focused feeder services from Port Klang, connecting the hub with secondary Indonesian ports. CN1 represents a further step in that expansion, becoming CULines’ first direct main-lane connection between East China and Indonesia without relying on intermediate transshipment hubs.
The service comes as trade between China and Indonesia continues to expand. China remains Indonesia’s largest trading partner, with substantial volumes of machinery, electronics, household goods and automotive components shipped from China to Indonesia.
The trade flow is not one-way. Indonesian commodities, raw materials and manufactured products also move in significant volumes towards Chinese markets, creating sustained demand for reliable and direct container connections between the two countries.
With CN1, CULines is positioning the new weekly service as a direct response to those growing China-Indonesia trade flows while strengthening its presence across the wider Southeast Asian shipping market.
