Maersk announced July 5 that it had opened the doors of its third Dubai-based Warehousing & Distribution (W&D) facility, providing the UAE with the country's first Cold Store venue.

The 13,000 square meters (139,930 square feet) plant is located in Dubai Industrial City, which is part of a portfolio of business districts that include Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Science Park and more. The facility will be able to handle and distribute over 12,500 pallets of products.

Maersk will offer its B2B and B2C fulfillment operations at the facility as well as its eCommerce solutions and value-added services like co-packing, labeling, repacking, cross-docking and last-mile delivery. The location will also be equipped with an advanced WMS (warehouse management system) that provides clear visibility at the SKU and Purchase Order levels.

“The demand for perishables that require cold storage is rising in the UAE owing to the growing population and robust tourism resulting in increased demand for specialty foods without compromising the integrity of the product,” said Christopher Cook, the managing director of Maersk UAE, Oman and Qatar. “At Maersk, our purpose is to improve life for all by integrating the world, and we saw an opportunity to establish a facility that would help us achieve our purpose in UAE. Our new Cold Store facility is helping us safeguard the integrity of perishables and offer them to end users through uninterrupted cold chain solutions.”