GAC, a global provider of integrated shipping, logistics and marine services, has announced that its Qatari unit has broken ground on a new 27,000-sq-m multi-user contract logistics facility in the Ras Bufontas Free Zone. 

 

It follows the signing of an agreement between GAC and Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) in February this year. 

 

It will be built from sustainable materials, partly fuelled by solar power, have several energy-saving features and use recycled water in its operations. The project is expected to be completed by early 2022. 

 

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Anders Bengtcén, Swedish Ambassador to Qatar, the QFZA chief executive Lim Meng Hui, GAC’s local partner Ismail Tahboub, GAC Group Executive Chairman and Trustee Björn Engblom, GAC Group Vice President - Middle East Fredrik Nyström in aaddition to Arabian Construction Engineering Company Group CEO and other senior officials.

 

Bengtcén welcomed GAC’s important investment in the Qatar Free Zones, saying it reflected the confidence that Swedish enterprises have in the development of Qatar as a logistical and entrepreneurial hub.

 

Hui said this facility will contribute towards Qatar as a regional logistics hub and good ecosystem for our investors to run their operations sustainably out of the free zones.

 

Engblom pointed out that Ras Bufontas Free Zone was a natural choice for GAC’s footprint expansion in the region.

 

"Its strategic location and excellent connectivity to the Hamad International Airport and the Hamad port put us right at the heart of all the trade activities. This facility will be a boost to our capabilities and will allow us to better serve the growing and increasingly complex logistics and supply chain needs of our customers," he noted.

 

"We are excited to be able to play a role in contributing towards the State’s mission of becoming a major logistics hub for the region. I congratulate the Qatar Free Zones Authority on making remarkable progress in achieving this goal," he added.

 

GAC Qatar General Manager Daniel Nordberg said: "Qatar’s logistics sector is a billion-dollar market for industry players to tap into."

 

"From servicing the local market to providing regional and transshipment services, GAC is well positioned to meet the freight, contract logistics and cold chain needs of diverse sectors with this new facility and the resources and expertise that we already have in our stable," he noted.

 

"The demand for our integrated solutions is expected to be bolstered by the North Field expansion project and the global soccer event in 2022. We can look forward to exciting times ahead," he added.-TradeArabia News Service