Maersk Kanoo United Arab Emirates (UAE) inaugurated on 16 March its first integrated logistics centre at DP World’s trade and logistics hub Jabel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) in Dubai, after the announcement of its launch in September 2021.
The new warehousing and distribution (W&D) facility of 10,000 m², which was inaugurated by Richard Morgan, the regional managing director at Maersk West and Central Asia and Christophe Cook, the managing director at Maersk UAE, in the presence of Maersk’s top W&D customers in the UAE, will cater to commodities across petrochemical, retail and lifestyle, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), technology and automotive sectors, amongst others.
“It is an important milestone for us today as we inaugurate our first Integrated Logistics Centre in the UAE and strengthen our commitment towards our customers in the Middle East,” stated Morgan who went on to add, “Our journey towards creating end-to-end logistics solutions is taking a definite shape as we continue to connect and simplify our customers’ supply chain.”
With the new integrated logistics centre in Dubai, Maersk’s customers will get single window access to multiple logistics requirements, not only for the goods flowing in and out of UAE, but also for other Middle Eastern counties using Dubai as a gateway to global trade.
The logistics centre’s customers will also benefit from reduced handovers of their cargo through its journey, which is anticipated to lead to potentially faster turnaround times, higher visibility, better control and more predictability of their supply chains, according to a statement.
Maersk said that the centre will also support existing services provided, including ocean shipping, landside transportation, customs clearance, contract logistics and e-commerce solutions, while it will also serve consumers that require air cross-docking, as well as those that move less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo, given its strategical location close to the Al Maktoum Airport.
The Maersk integrated logistics hub will be powered by a warehouse management system that implements modern technologies and digital solutions for efficient inventory management, track and trace at unit-level and dashboards for higher visibility and deeper insights.
Furthermore, the facility will get solar panels on its rooftop to cater to all the entire electricity requirements for facility operations. The 434 MWh/year clean energy production of this installation is estimated to reduce more than 1,700 tonnes of carbon emissions over 10 years, according to the Danish company.
“At A.P. Moller – Maersk, we want to achieve minimum 90% green operations at our warehouses, depots and cold stores worldwide by 2030,” noted Cook. “The green energy that we are producing through the solar panels at our facility and powering our operations with, guarantees that we are taking definite steps towards decarbonising logistics and services,” he added.
The Maersk integrated logistics centre in Dubai will be an addition to the existing global footprint of over 250 warehouses, 85 of which were opened in 2021, covering 1.5 million m² across 50 countries.
