KARACHI: A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has been unwavering in its dedication to supporting the communities where it operates by contributing assets, expertise, and capable talent for pro-bono projects, especially when it is needed the most.
The record monsoon rains that impacted Pakistan this mid-year swept away infrastructure, inundated large areas of land and displaced and affected millions of people.
Commenting on the state-of-affairs Hasan Faraz, MD Maersk (Pakistan) stated: “Living our purpose of improving life for all by integrating the world, our relentless commitment to our community is paramount in everything we do.
“For years, we have partnered with reputable humanitarian organizations to support their relief efforts in Pakistan by providing our end-to-end logistics services and products to mobilize and accelerate the transportation of aid relief.
“During the floods, we activated projects with HANDS, the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and UNICEF, providing urgent aid to the most affected areas in the country”.
During the early stages of the floods, sourcing local products from the larger cities of Pakistan and moving them to severely affected remote communities was one of the most immediate ways to provide urgent care to the victims.
Maersk Pakistan teamed with HANDS, one of the largest non-profit organizations in Pakistan that specializes in disaster management.
Thanks to its 35 branches’ network across Pakistan and access to more than 21,000 villages in 59 districts, Maersk was able to distribute essential non-perishable food items like grains, and flour-based baked goods to 450 families in Larkana and Dadu.
As part of a long-standing agreement and commitment, Maersk provides customs, transportation, and warehousing services to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
During the floods, UNICEF has been receiving relief items from overseas, which are temporarily stored before dispatch to the affected areas for distribution.
For this purpose, Maersk offered UNICEF a total of 50,000 square feet of warehouse space free of charge.
To date, an estimated 2.7 tons of cargo have been received at Maersk fulfilment centers, both strategically located near Port Qasim, the country’s second busiest port gate.
The donations, which include mosquito nets, tents, and hygiene kits for women and children, require rapid deployment.
Maersk, therefore, deployed a special on-site team to speed up the distribution and ensure the operation’s agility and efficiency.
Purifying water in the most critical areas
The Danish Embassy in Pakistan, in cooperation with the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), donated water purification modules to deliver clean drinking water to the people of Pakistan in flooded areas.
Maersk’s customs clearance and transportation services enabled prompt delivery of the modules to Sindh, one of the provinces highly affected by water scarcity.
H.E. Jakob Linulf, Envoy of Denmark to Pakistan informed: “The modules were lent to Pakistan to help address the shortage of clean drinking water, which worsened during the emergency.
“Maersk effectively supported us in clearing the equipment into the country and safely transporting it to the site.
“For us, it is key to count on the support of a trusted partner that can help us accelerate the provision of emergency assistance in crucial times.
“Thanks to the mobilisation of the water purification unit, we have managed to provide close to 3 million litres of clean drinking water to the communities in Khipro and vicinity.”
Employees from West and Central Asia offices have organized collection drives of non-perishable food, toiletries, clothing, and monetary donations that were sent to Pakistan throughout November in cooperation with the Dar Al Ber Society Fund.
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A.P. Moller – Maersk opens doors to 560,000 sq. ft. Integrated Logistics Park at Port Qasim
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 H.E. 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 behavior 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.
Hasan Faraz, Managing Director, Maersk Pakistan, commented during the inauguration of the facility, “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.”
MD 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.”
His Excellency Jakob Linulf, the Danish Ambassador to Islamabad, said: “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.
“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,” The envoy maintained.
PS: 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 worldwide. Maersk is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels, and green fuels.
Maersk and UNICEF
Newspakistan.tv
