Day: April 21, 2022

Singapore, dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, continues to invest in infrastructure and equipment to further improve resource efficiency globally. The company has installed a 3.5 megawatt-peak rooftop solar power system across its operations, including its cargo and catering facilities, at Changi Airport (SIN). The rooftop power plant comprises of over 6,500 individual solar panels and will generate more than 4,300 megawatt hours of green power a year, enabling dnata to reduce its electricity-related carbon emissions by 20% annually in Singapore.

David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, said: “We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint to ensure the highest possible level of environmental efficiency across our operations. The inauguration of the solar power system in Singapore marks a significant milestone in our efforts to make dnata’s operations even more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint by 20% in the next two years globally.”

Jen Tan, Head of Integrated Solutions (Singapore & Southeast Asia) and Renewables (Indonesia), Sembcorp Industries, said: “We have a proven track record in rooftop photovoltaic solutions for the aerospace and aviation industry and the completion of this project solidifies our position. We are pleased to help dnata take their first step towards reducing their carbon footprint, and we look forward to exploring more innovative green solutions with them in the future.”

In recent years dnata has significantly invested in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement to further improve operational efficiency with a strategic objective of reducing its carbon footprint globally by 20% by 2024. dnata replaced and refurbished ground support equipment at airports to decrease engine emissions, invested in facilities that incorporate the latest carbon reduction initiatives in design and operation, and embedded its environmental framework across its broad-spanning Travel businesses, aiming to empower customers to make better travel choices.

In Singapore, dnata took initiatives to reduce food waste across its catering operations and replaced a number of its ground support equipment (GSE) and forklifts with hybrid or electric alternatives, while refurbishing selected GSE where appropriate to extend life cycles, reduce waste and update them to the latest safety and quality standards. Most recently, dnata has added 44 electric baggage tractors to its GSE fleet at Changi Airport.

Globally, dnata offers quality and reliable ground handling, cargo, catering and retail services at over 120 airports in 19 countries. In Singapore, the company serves more than 50 airline customers with a team of 1,100 highly-trained employees.

Source: Dubai National Air Travel Agency

DUBAI, DP World Limited handled 19.3 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) across its global portfolio of container terminals in the first quarter of 2022, with gross container volumes increasing by 1.7% year-on-year on a reported basis and up 1.9% on a like-for-like basis.

1Q2022 volume growth was driven by Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe and Africa, and Americas regions. At an asset level, Qingdao (China), Sokhna (Egypt), London Gateway (UK), Yarimca (Turkey), Dakar (Senegal), Caucedo (Dominican Republic), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Posorja (Ecuador) delivered a strong performance. Jebel Ali (UAE) handled 3.4 million TEU in 1Q2022, a decrease of 1.0% year-on-year.

At a consolidated level, our terminals handled 11.3 million TEU during the first quarter of 2022, increasing 1.4% on a reported basis and up 1.1% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis.

Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem commented:”As anticipated, 1Q2022 volume growth has softened due to the strong prior-year performance and uncertain macro environment. However, we continue to see robust growth in markets such as Asia Pacific and the Americas, while in Europe, London Gateway’s strong performance has continued into 2022. The softer volumes Jebel Ali (UAE) is due to loss of low margin throughput where we remain focused on more profitable origin & destination cargo.

”Looking ahead, the near-term outlook is mixed given the geopolitical environment, but we remain positive on the medium to long term fundamentals of the industry. On our broader portfolio, we continue to make strong progress in strengthening our product offering, allowing us to connect directly with cargo owners to deliver a range of unique logistic solutions. Overall, we remain focused on integrating our recent acquisitions, growing profitability while managing growth capex, delivering on our 2022 leverage targets and disciplined investment to cement DP World’s position as the logistics partner of choice,” he said.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The Ministry of Economy has launched a new webpage for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and India, which was signed by the two countries’ leadership in February 2022 and will come into effect as of May 1, 2022.

The e-platform provides UAE companies and investors, who wish to capitalise on the benefits provided by the Agreement, with access to all information related to the historic agreement, which has ushered in a new era of economic and trade cooperation between the two friendly countries.

Juma Al Kait, Assistant Under-Secretary of International Trade Affairs, commented, “The webpage provides all the necessary resources and relevant information to private sector stakeholders and companies in the UAE who are interested in enhancing their businesses and investment in India. It also gives them an overview of this historic agreement’s trade and investment opportunities and features.”

“This comprehensive knowledge base enhances the access of exporters, suppliers, investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, and talents to new opportunities under the scope of this Agreement, thereby strengthening their ability to develop specific expansion strategies focused on the Indian market,” he added.

The portal provides detailed information on all 18 chapters of the CEPA and lists simple steps that companies in the UAE can adopt to forge or expand their business relationship with the Indian market.

It also provides comprehensive and clear details for each sector, including tariff structures, rules of origin, differential treatment, customs procedures, digital trade, and SMEs, which will help entrepreneurs identify the rules and tariffs applicable to their businesses and product as well as the certificates that must be obtained to enter the Indian market under the new regulations.

Those interested in the platform’s services can access it via the link:

https://www.moec.gov.ae/en/cepa The Ministry of Economy’s launch of this webpage is part of its plan to operationalise the UAE-India CEPA, to provide the private sector with the tools, knowledge, and information it needs to deepen trade relations with India, which is the world’s fifth-largest economy. These efforts will help increase the volume of UAE-India non-oil trade to US$100 billion a year within the next five years.

A team of experts have also been appointed to respond to private sector and investor inquiries about CEPA and clarify its clauses and inform companies of several trade remedies contained in the Agreement. These include a number of experts from the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Chambers and The Department of Economy and Tourism.

In the coming phase, the Ministry of Economy will meet with state-owned enterprises, family business conglomerates and large multinational companies to help them understand the details of the tariff reduction and removal – which covers 80 percent of products. Workshops will also be conducted to ensure every startup and corporation knows what to do to unlock the enormous opportunities presented by the CEPA.

Source: Emirates News Agency