Maersk to start operating new cold storage facility at Dammam port in 2023 – EQ Mag
The facility will handle 168,000 pallet positions annually
A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has signed an agreement with Saudi-based Refad Real Estate to operate a cold storage facility at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, which will open in March 2023, the shipping giant said in a statement.
The 13,300-square metre cold storage facility will handle 168,000 pallet positions annually at Saudi Arabia’s second-largest port for refrigerated containers.
“With more than a fifth of the country’s food imports coming through King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, we wanted to establish a state-of-the-art cold storage facility that will help us serve the food industry better,” said Mohammad Shihab, Managing Director, Maersk Saudi Arabia.
The facility will primarily serve the requirement to store frozen commodities such as poultry, meat, vegetables, confectionary and processed food. It will also keep chilled cargo such as dairy products and seasonal fruits, according to the statement.
A 600 kWp roof-top solar power plant will be installed to generate at least 15 percent of the power requirement at the start of operations, the statement said.
Additionally, an on-site water treatment plant will be installed to cater to all water requirements, which will eliminate the need to transport water in trucks from external water treatment plants, and the associated carbon emissions from the trucks.
The statement noted that the trucks shunting between the facility and King Abdulaziz Port’s terminal will be replaced with electric ones to reduce carbon emissions in the near future.
Source: zawya
