Danish firm Maersk has opened the doors of its largest logistics park, at the Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia.

The 225,000m² facility, with an investment of $250m, is also the largest single-site logistics and services facility in the Middle East.

The park provides for integrated logistics under one roof with the provision for multi-modal connectivity between ocean, land and air transport. Warehousing caters for B2B and ecommerce requirements, and includes temperature-controlled facilities.

The facility is designed for a wide range of industries and verticals, including FMCG, frozen food, automotive, retail, lifestyle, petrochemicals, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Distribution options include first- and last-kilometre deliveries. And it provides customs clearances, visibility and a 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 64,000m² on the rooftop. The park will use electric equipment and electric trucks within the facility, and have low electricity-consumption LED lighting optimised with light sensors.

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.

Built on the foundation of safety by design, the facility has firefighting systems, segregated paths for pedestrians and equipment, and surveillance cameras, among other safety measures.

The Jeddah Islamic Port has an infrastructure with berths capable of accommodating giant ships and modern, automated, environmentally friendly equipment.

“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,” said Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi minister of transport and logistics services. “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.”

Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk (www.maersk.com), added: “The Maersk Logistics Park represents a significant milestone for Maersk. It is a testament to our commitment to be an enabler of global trade in Saudi Arabia, which sits strategically at the crossroads of three continents. I am proud to see that our Logistics Park in Jeddah has become a living example of our integrated logistics strategy, supporting our customers with resilient logistics while implementing the right initiatives to take our decarbonisation journey forward.”