Jeddah: A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) and the General Ports Authority of Saudi Arabia ‘Mawani’ announced the opening of the largest Logistics Park for Maersk in the Middle East at Jeddah Islamic Port.
The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Ports Authority, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, His Excellency the Chairman of the Authority, Omar bin Talal Hariri, Vincent Clerc, CEO A.P. Moller – Maersk, Richard Morgan, Managing Director, Maersk Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, Mohammad Shihab, Managing Director, Maersk Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Kudous, Head of Supply Chain Personal Care Middle East and Turkey, and Head of Customer Operations GCC, Unilever, Unilever and other senior officials.
His Excellency Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Ports Authority said “The Saudi ports sector is witnessing major and unprecedented leaps, in terms of high operational performance efficiency, achieving records in international indicators, growing maritime navigation lines and increasing maritime connectivity with the countries of the world. The Maersk Logistics Park at Jeddah Islamic Port will contribute to service and development in supporting economic activity in the Kingdom and providing highly efficient logistics services to support the movement of trade and export to foreign markets and enhance the work of supply chains and logistics.”
His Excellency, the President of the General Authority of Ports, Mr Omar Hariri, appreciated the role of the Logistics Park in supporting the growth of the logistics industry and economic and development activity through the logistical solutions it provides. “These solutions work to connect and facilitate the supply chains, which contributes to achieving qualitative leaps in the operational performance of the ports and enhances the capabilities of the logistics sector and global trade movement,” he said.
The Maersk Logistics Park extends over an area of 225,000 square metres and provides for truly integrated logistics solutions under one roof with the provision for:
Multi-modal connectivity between ocean, land and air transport
Warehousing solutions catering for B2B and e-commerce requirements
Temperature-controlled warehousing
Custom-bonded setup
Dedicatedly designed for a wide range of industries and verticals, including FMCG, Frozen Food, Automotive, Retail & Lifestyle, Petrochemicals, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals etc.
Distribution solutions that include first- and last-mile deliveries
Customs clearances, visibility solutions and control tower.
Maersk has implemented several initiatives as part of its decarbonisation ambitions to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The facility will draw up to 70% of its electricity from 32,000 solar panels installed over 64,000 sq. m. on the rooftop. The Maersk Logistics Park will use electric equipment and electric trucks within the facility, have low electricity-consumption LED lighting optimised with light sensors, etc.
Maersk has established an in-house women’s academy offering tailored training programmes to ensure stronger diversity and inclusion. Through this academy, women will be empowered to work in the logistics and supply chain sector through specialised training and career development. Besides training and mentorship, this academy also strives to create a supportive environment for Saudi Arabian women to thrive in what has been a male-dominated industry.
Safety is of paramount importance for Maersk. Built on the foundation of ‘Safety by Design,’ the facility boasts world-class firefighting systems, segregated paths for pedestrians and equipment, and comprehensive surveillance camera systems, among other safety measures. The most modern and state-of-the-art implementations promote the safety of people as well as the customers’ cargo.
Maersk Logistics Park has been built at the Jeddah Islamic Port, which has an advanced infrastructure with berths capable of accommodating new generations of giant ships and modern, automated, environmentally friendly equipment that contributes to raising the efficiency of its operations and competitiveness and increasing its capacity.