Tristar Group, a company that provides various services to the petroleum and chemical industries, has broken ground on a new chemical warehouse and bagging plant in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), Dubai, UAE.

The 350,000-sq-ft chemical warehouse, expected to cost Dh75 million ($20.4 million), is a joint venture between the UAE-based Tristar and Skeberis Plastics, headquartered in Greece and Belgium with a regional base in the UAE, a Wam report said.

The facility will have a capacity of 250,000 tonnes of bulk material and a racking capacity of more than 15,000 pallet positions for packed chemical and plastic granules products.

It will be built in an environment-friendly manner and will incorporate best-in-class safety features to ensure safe handling and storage of all types of liquid and solid chemicals, said officials.

The warehouse is expected to be fully operational in mid-2016 and will provide better time to market delivery due to its close proximity to Jebel Ali Port and Maktoum International Airport, and in the future to Etihad Railways.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Tristar Group chief executive officer Eugene Mayne, along with Skeberis Plastics managing director Reinhard Fischer and Jafza officials led by group chief finance officer Asim Al Abbasi and vice-president - customer relations and development Omar Bin Hendi.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayne said Jafza was a great choice because its multiplatform logistics facility would support Tristar’s transportation and freight needs.

“Our core expertise lies in handling hydrocarbons, lubricants, chemicals and liquid gases. The facility is designed to offer advanced bagging solutions for polyethylene and polypropylene granules that are produced regionally by both national and international manufacturers."

Skeberis will be providing technical support for the management and day-to-day operation of the bagging operations at the facility, disclosed Fischer. – TradeArabia News Service