Dubai firm begins work on setting up depot, logistics facilities in Kizad

Dubai - Dubai-based Trustworthy.ae Group on Monday said work has begun on building an inland container depot (ICD) and a third-party logistics (3PL) facility in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) in Abu Dhabi.
Mobilisation work on the facilities will begin this month with the ICD becoming operational in June 2019. Spread over a built-up area of 40,000 square metres along with 25,000 sqm of open yard for storage area, the 3PL facility will be ready for business by the first quarter of 2020.
The facilities will be geared up to serve the expected rise of container volumes to 8.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from existing 1.5 million TEUs per annum over the next five years, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Hayleys Advantis Limited, a transportation and logistics firm, will manage and operate the two facilities.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Mohamed Juma Al Shamsi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports; Samir Chaturvedi, CEO, Kizad; Abdul Lathif, managing director, Trustworthy.ae Group; Jalal Essudeen, executive director, Trustworthy.ae Group; Mohan Pandithage, chairman, Hayleys Group; Ruwan Waidyaratne, managing director, Hayleys Advantis Limited, along with many other dignitaries.
"Today's groundbreaking ceremony marks an important milestone on our project. We are confident that Hayleys Advantis will set a new benchmark for quality and service in the Middle East region," said Abdul Lathif.
Samir Chaturvedi the new facilities will support the trade of goods to and from Abu Dhabi across a wide spectrum of industries.
"The investment of Sri Lanka's leading logistics firm at our industrial zone is testament to Kizad's established position as a global industrial and trading hub. The vast scale of these new facilities, along with the expansion of Khalifa Port and surrounding transport infrastructure, will support the growth of container volumes across the region over the coming years."
Ruwan Waidyaratne said this being the first project in the Middle Eastern region, the company is intent on making a meaningful impact by utilizing the experience and expertise it has developed over the years, by operating in multiple countries in the Asian region.
The ICD will offer washing, cleaning, repairs and certification for containers with an operational capacity of 1,500 to 1,800 trucks per day. Major and minor container repairs will be served by the workshop within the facility. The 3PL operations will cater to cold, ambient and open yard storage.
-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com