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February 1st, 2008 — Issue 4 February 2008, Services
When it comes to transportation standards, Turkey is ahead of most of the Middle East. But the EU candidate still needs to catch up with Europe.
The Turkish logistics industry is one of the strongest in the Middle East. The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) ranks Turkey second in the region, below only the UAE (see page 33). Located at the centre of the Western- Eastern trade routes, Turkey’s location is perhaps as good, or even better than, Dubai’s.
February 1st, 2008 — Issue 4 February 2008, Services
With its 2,000 hectares set to triple in size and a confirmed investment of US$12 billion, Oman’s Sohar Port is the region’s hottest real estate.
Four years ago, only farmland, desert and camels occupied this land,” says Robert Boonk, Commercial Officer for the Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC), sitting in the boardroom of the company’s temporary trailer offices at Sohar Port in Oman.
“There were no roads, no utilities, there was nothing here.”
January 1st, 2008 — Issue 3 Dec/Jan 2008, Services
Maximus Air Cargo has its hands on an Antonov AN-124 and can’t mask its pleasure
The AN-124 is designed to handle big cargo, up to 120,000 kg at a time
The only way to describe the Antonov AN-124 is ‘big’. It has a basic weight of 188,000 kg (no fuel, no load), a maximum takeoff weight of 392,000 kg (fuel, payload and basic weight) and a maximum landing weight of 330,000 kg. It has a wingspan of 73.3 metres, an overall length of 69.1 metres and an overall height of 21.1 metres.
January 1st, 2008 — Issue 3 Dec/Jan 2008, Services
Midex Airlines, the UAE’s new first cargo airline, finds itself in the right place at the right time
Jassim Al Bastaki, Director of Midex Airlines, says the airline is set to soar
It’s on time, or it’s on us,” declares Jassim Al Bastaki, Director of Midex Airlines, the new scheduled all-cargo operator now flying from Al Ain to six destinations. “Whether we have one tonne or 44, we’re going to fly.”
January 1st, 2008 — Issue 3 Dec/Jan 2008, Services
Since it started operations in 2005, Maximus Air Cargo has become the fastest growing all-cargo operator in the Middle East.
Fathi Hilal Buhazza, President and CEO of Maximus Air Cargo
On its way to 8,000 feet, going home to Abu Dhabi after the Dubai Airshow, the A6-MAX, a Lockheed L-382G Hercules, passes Burj Dubai on its left and Palm Jumeirah on its right. The lights of two of the world’s most awe-inspiring man-made monuments at night, however, can hardly distract me from the plane. I am, after all, in the cockpit of one of the world’s most unique aircraft.
January 1st, 2008 — Issue 3 Dec/Jan 2008, Services
WFP Aviation, the UNWFP’s dedicated aviation unit, provides chartered aircraft for food distribution in times of crises. Working with hundreds of contractors in dozens of countries, the unit can quickly be called in to deliver timely aid.
WFP Aviation, the UNWFP’s dedicated aviation unit, has a mandate from the United Nations General Assembly to perform aviation services for all humanitarian agencies. “If a UN agency has a requirement for aviation services, they contact us,” said Phillipe Martou, Deputy Head of Aviation, based in Rome. Martou was in Dubai for the recent Airshow.
January 1st, 2008 — Issue 3 Dec/Jan 2008, Services
The UNWFP Field and Emergency Support Office based in Dubai supplies critical ancillary services in times of humanitarian crises.
You could easily mistake the office of the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) Field and Emergency Support Office (FESO) in Dubai International Humanitarian City (DIHC) for the office of a typical corporation – gray-coloured cubicles, clacking keyboards, scrambling employees and, of course, a corner office.
November 1st, 2007 — Issue 2 November 2007, Services
Bahrain is hoping to take a stand as the world’s next modern logistics hub. But will old ways of business prevent this tiny archipelago from becoming “new”?
A walk around some areas of Bahrain seems a lot like a walk around Dubai ten, maybe fifteen, years ago. Juice from shawarma meat cooking on the spit of a street-side stand dribbles on your feet and water from the air conditioners of buildings built in the Seventies drips on your head. The smell of garbage wafts from open dumpsters and people on the street have more than enough time to stop and say “hello”.
November 1st, 2007 — Issue 2 November 2007, Services
Airline food may seem boring, but the science behind it surprisingly exciting.
Emirates Flight Catering, a subsidiary of Emirates Airlines, opened the largest in flight catering facility in the world in terms of meal throughput capacity. The facility is dedicated to supply the in-flight service requirements of Emirates Airlines. At full capacity, over 1800 employees on three floors will prepare 115,000 meals per day.
October 1st, 2007 — Issue 1 October 2007, Services
Mohebi Logistics, as an entity, may be less than a month old, but the Mohebi family has been in the UAE logistics industry since 1931.
Iain Gordon, General Manager, Mohebi Logistics
In September 2007, Mohebi Investments, an affiliate of the renowned UAE-based Zainal Mohebi Group, announced the launch of Mohebi Logistics, an Dhirams (Dh) 1 billion investment aimed at creating one of the region’s biggest supply chain companies. As part of this ambitious initiative, Mohebi Logistics will establish an Dh 200 million (m) state-of-the-art regional logistics hub spread over an area of over 51,000 square metres (sq m) in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
