Danzas AEI Intercontinental, the Bahraini operating arm of DHL Global Forwarding, on Tuesday signed up as the first anchor tenant at the Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ).

The company also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to lease serviced warehouse space for conducting freight forwarding activities in Bahrain and the GCC region.

The signing ceremony was held at the General Organisation of Sea Ports in the presence of Sheikh Daij bin Salman Al-Khalifa, chairman of the General Organization of Sea Ports in Bahrain for Bahrain Logistics Zone and Enver Moretti president and CEO EMA Region, DHL Global Forwarding on behalf of Danzas AEI Intercontinental Bahrain.

The MoU is the umbrella for the collaboration between the two companies, who will now begin negotiations for the lease of serviced logistics facilities at the Bahrain Logistics Zone in Khalifa bin Salman Port.

Focusing on local and international companies interested in expanding to the region, the zone will be the first of its kind in the Middle East to open a boutique-style logistics area that focuses on re-export and value-adding logistics activities.

The combination of highly-developed road, sea and air connections provides significant opportunities for businesses wishing to deploy a multi-modal logistics strategy.

Sheikh Daij said the agreement was a positive step to boost Bahrain’s visibility as a logistics hub for the region.

“The Bahrain Logistics Zone has made a major commitment to the goal of being the logistics hub for the Northern Gulf. The MoU with Danzas demonstrates the magnitude of the project.”

BLZ will have a unique component – an ultra-modern sea port with a capacity of 1.5 M TEUs and world-class customs processes facilitating re-exports throughout the Bahrain surrounding region.

Enver Moretti said, “Danzas has always seen Bahrain as an important part of its international expanding operations and is proud to support the emergence of Bahrain as a logistics hub in the Gulf.”

Sheikh Daij said this was only the beginning for the BLZ as it will open its gates in September to more companies. "We are looking forward to announcing many more partnerships in the coming months,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service