UAE-based global logistics major DP World said it added more than 23,000 nautical miles of new trade routes across the globe, including connections between India, Middle East and Africa, and new connections between Latin America, Europe and Asia during January-September this year.

The new routes, which also included multiple new routes connecting smaller ports with Rotterdam in Europe, have enabled opening new trading opportunities for cargo owners, better access to goods and services for underserved populations, besides providing alternatives to globally congested routes and ports across the globe, the company said.

Tiemen Meester, chief operating officer of ports & terminals at DP World, said the new routes provided Central American fruit suppliers access to Asia, the UK and Western Europe, and African citrus growers access to new markets in the Middle East and South Asia.

“We use cutting-edge innovations that create new ways to take goods to market where none exist or add alternatives where supply chains are subpar,” Meester said.

DP World’s route expansions this year also include a new route connecting Ecuador’s fruit and cocoa producers to Asia for the first time.

French shipping line CMA CGM launched a new service in August from DP World Posorja at Guayaquil port, connecting the country to Asia. This new direct connection route uses 11 vessels on rotation, improving transit times to Asia.

After three years of uninterrupted operations at Posorja, the new service will help position Guayaquil and Ecuador as a key hub, not just for the west coast of South America, but also the South Pacific.

The route expansions are part of DP World’s efforts to provide end-to-end logistics solutions, enabling seamless movement of goods from the point of production to the end user through innovative technology and global intermodal transportation services across shipping, rail and road, the company said.