Maersk opens doors to 560,000 sq. ft. Integrated Logistics Park at Port Qasim in Pakistan
With its six purpose-built sheds, the new facility makes Maersk the country’s largest logistics and warehousing provider, with a total footprint of more than 1.3 million sq. ft. across seven cities.
Karachi: A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk), the integrated logistics company, inaugurated its new Integrated Logistics Park at Port Qasim in Pakistan today. Present at the inauguration were His Excellency Jakob Linulf, the Danish Ambassador to Pakistan, Honorable Chairman Port Qasim, Rear Admiral (R) Syed Hasan Nasir Shah HI(M), Hasan Faraz, Managing Director, Maersk Pakistan, the leadership team at Maersk Pakistan and leaders from the top businesses in Pakistan.
The Covid-19 pandemic impacted economies worldwide brought most lives to a standstill and disrupted the global supply chains. However, goods did not stop moving around the world and all the essentials required to battle the pandemic kept moving.
This was possible because shipping and logistics companies showed immense resilience in their operations amidst the most challenging times. Ships kept sailing, ports stayed operational, warehouses remained open, and cargo kept moving despite international borders getting closed.
During this time, Maersk’s integrated logistics solutions created maximum value for importers and exporters. Maersk’s end-to-end solutions ensured customers’ cargo kept moving.
The warehousing facilities especially strengthened Maersk’s position by being able to store goods that were in lower demand and slowed down supply chains when needed.
This garnered a lot of confidence in the customers’ minds about Maersk’s resilience, commitment and ability to react quickly and appropriately to the changing behaviour of the end consumers.
Building on this background, Maersk Pakistan took the bold decision to invest in an Integrated Logistics Park that would act as a warehouse, including a consolidation & fulfilment centre and cold storage, at Port Qasim.
Maersk Pakistan went on from acquiring a 26-acre land parcel to carefully designing and constructing a six-shed facility spread over 560,000 sq. ft. that will answer all the requirements of its customers through a single location.
This facility will cater to storage requirements of cargo from retail & lifestyle, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), automotive and technology sectors. Located within Port Qasim, the Integrated Logistics Park will be the perfect warehouse destination for customers to manage their import and export cargo with the least time delays while connecting to and from vessels.
The Maersk Integrated Logistics Park will come equipped with modern Warehouse Management Systems. With Maersk taking care of the movement of cargo – ocean transportation on one side and landside transportation on the other side of the warehouse – customers will experience lesser handovers of their cargo, leading to higher efficiencies, faster turnaround times, deeper visibility and better control over the cargo movement. All of this will result in better predictability of supply chains.
At Maersk, our purpose is to improve life for all by integrating the world. With our state-of-the-art Integrated Logistics Park, we want to ensure that we play an important role in connecting and simplifying the supply chains for importers, exporters and traders of Pakistan.
He added, “I am proud of this major investment in Pakistan and is a critical building block in the logistics infrastructure. It is also apt to recognise the unwavering support our customers have extended, with whom we could have meaningful conversations that helped us design a solution that creates value in their supply chains.”
Pakistan has incredible potential to grow, and there are enough opportunities for trade to flourish here. Despite the various current challenges, Maersk has played an important role as a trusted partner for Pakistan’s traders.
He added, “Maersk’s commitment to invest in a large facility such as the one inaugurated today in Port Qasim speaks volumes of the potential that is out there to be harnessed.”
About A.P. Moller – Maersk
A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As a global leader in shipping services, the company operates in more than 130 countries and employs over 100,000 people world-wide. Maersk is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels, and green fuels.
About : Port Qasim
Port Qasim was established through an Act of parliament on 29th June 1973. It is located in karachi’s phitti creek of Indus delta region. The port started operation in 1980 with a dedicated Iron Ore Coal Berth for the bulk handling of imports of raw materials for Pakistan Steel Mill. The port presently has 18 berths (15 in private sector) with annual handling capacity of 89 millions tons. All commodities ranging from minerals oils, edible oil, coal, rice, wheat, cement to fertlizers, general cargo, containers and LNG are being handled in the port at state-of-the-art terminals. It is the energy hub and only LNG Port of Pakistan.
Port Qasim has enormous potential for expansion . Two new LNG terminals, one container terminal and 02 multipurpose berths are in the pipeline. The plans for future include, deepening, widening of main navigational channel along with commissioning of alternate channel. Dualization of 26 km main access road, upgradation of existing industrial waste treatment plant and another combined effluent treatment plant are also in the planning stage.
