The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has today announced the signing of an agreement between Maersk and property developer Refad Real Estate to operate a state-of-the-art cold storage facility at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam in the presence of Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of Mawani. The ceremony was also attended by Omar Hariri, President of Mawani, alongside Mohammad Shihab, Managing Director of Maersk Saudi Arabia, and Abdulaziz Al-Qahtani, Chairman of Al-Qahtani Holding Company. The deal is expected to strengthen the Kingdom's food security and significantly drive up its food trade volumes through the Arabian Gulf port besides enhancing the maritime sector's logistics offerings in general and cold chain solutions in specific as per the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to position Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub. The cold storage occupies an area of 30,000 sq. meters with an annual capacity to hold 168,000 pallets of fruits and vegetables, frozen goods, processed foods, and dairy products. Equipped with world-class temperature and humidity control systems, the facility will source around 15% of its energy needs through 600 KW solar panels to cut back on carbon emissions. The facility also comes with an on-site water treatment installation to meet its requirements in-house while eliminating the need to carry water via trucks to external water treatment plants, thereby reducing the carbon footprint resulting from driving these vehicles up to 87,600 km annually. In addition, electric vehicles will be used for transportation between the cold stores and King Abdulaziz Port, a key step in fulfilling the ambitions of the Saudi Green Initiative. King Abdulaziz Port remains a strategic trade gateway for the Kingdom's Eastern and Central Regions to the world, giving it a unique edge in the eyes of prospective investors looking to set up integrated logistics parks that offer value-added services.
