Dubai-based transport group Aramex has opened an Express Land Freight Terminal in Al Aweer inDubai, which will act as a regional hub connecting the Middle East and Arabian Gulf.
The land freight terminal was built to accommodate the growth of business in the region, which,according to Safwan Tannir, Aramex Senior Vice President of Cargo, is expected to grow by 30 percent during this year. Tannir attributed this growth to several factors, namely, the hike in oilprices, which places land freight as the less costly option when compared to air freight, and theregion’s geography and its advanced road network.
He explained: “Land freight is the future of shipping in the Gulf, especially once thetransitional period of the GCC Customs Union agreement is completed in 2007. Aramex has beendiligent in building a solid land freight network and infrastructure to be able to cater to thegrowing demand.”
The new Aramex terminal is equipped with state-of-the-art security systems and occupies a primelocation for re-export and distribution as it is situated on the Emirates Ring Road connectingindustrial and free-trade zones across the UAE. It runs a daily scheduled service that covers theUAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.Yemen, Sudan and Iran will be added at a later stage.
Aramex’s Express Land Freight network is operated by a modern fleet of 40-foot container trucksequipped with GPS trackers to enable movement monitoring through www.aramex.com.
Hussein Hachem, Aramex Vice President UAE & Oman, said: “The Express Land Freight Terminal,which occupies a land area of 5500 square meters, will reinforce the concept of multi-modaltransportation in the region and will serve the delivery needs of a variety of customers, includingthe FMCG and technology sectors.”
He added: “Dubai has become a gateway for land freight and a hub for the redistribution of goodsto the rest of the Gulf states and the Middle East due to the fact that the UAE boasts a number offree-trade zones and several ports with substantial operational capabilities. The Aramex terminalwill provide a link for all air and sea cargo moving through Dubai and the Emirates to its finaldestination.”
