UAE – A gateway to global markets

UAE is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia and serves as the region’s maritime hub. Several investments have been made to upgrade its port facilities. Even as business has stuttered in the region, the country’s Jebel Ali port, the world’s largest manmade port, has stood firm. Leaning on this robustness, ECU Worldwide UAE has built an enviable position for itself in the region, for the past 20 years. It offers state-of-the-art warehousing, backed by strong multimodal transport capabilities, a well-honed workforce and sound industry knowledge to keep trade humming.

Business in the Persian Gulf region has been challenging for the past two years. Economic headwinds have buffeted trade in crude and conflicts dotting the region and its surroundings—from Syria to Sudan and Iran to Yemen—have kept business growth in the slow lane. Growing global trade discord, especially between the USA and China has only added the economic malaise.

In these challenging times, the strategically located port of Jebel Ali has stood strong, remaining the most desired hub in the Upper Gulf, Europe and Africa, due to its connectivity and fast, efficient and accurate service. As a leading, long-time (20 years and counting) operator in the country, ECU Worldwide UAE, has benefited from Jebel Ali’s growth to become the go-to cargo logistics partner for companies in the region.

Geographically, UAE or the United Arab Emirates, a county of under 10 million, is located between larger nations of Saudi Arabia and Iran. What the country lacks in size, it makes up for in petrol-dollar muscle. The country’s airport and ports are among the world’s largest, for instance, and constantly expanding. The country is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia and serves as the region’s maritime hub, and several investments have been made to upgrade its port facilities.

Growing traffic

In 2017, container port traffic in the UAE was 22.4 million TEUs, with a forecast of a record 28.4 million TEUs by 2021. Further investment of USD 1.6 billion (Dh5.87 billion) into Jebel Ali, the world’s biggest man-made port, to expand its total capacity to 22.1 million TEUs and another USD 2.73 billion is being spent on Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi over the next five years, including a 100-sq-km expansion and a capacity increase to 8.5 million TEUs from 2.5 million TEUs.

ECU Worldwide UAE is pivotally placed to benefit from this infrastructure growth and to help businesses benefit from it too. Geographically located almost right in the middle of Arabian Gulf Sea, Jebel Ali port provides speedy service to its customers located within UAE. Some 40-plus direct tradelanes for imports and exports are served from UAE, with over 100 countries served through indirect sailings. The top exports of the UAE are crude petroleum, refined petroleum and gold, while leading imports are gold, jewellery and cars.

“Since we are located inside the port and the free zone, we can replicate this pace and efficient service to our customers based in UAE and for transshipment cargo,” says Varuna Wirasinha, Vice President – UAE, Kuwait, Oman & Bahrain, ECU Worldwide. “When a vessel arrives in Jebel Ali port, we collect the container within 12 to 18 hours and transport it within 30 minutes from the port to our bonded facility without the process of customs inspection, only further hastening the process,” he continues.

Scale and speed matter

Then, ECU Worldwide UAE’s teams can unload the material within three or four hours, once the container gate enters our CFS where UAE customers can receive the cargo quickly. Meanwhile, transshipment cargo is reloaded and handed over to the port for reshipping to final destination based on the transit time, vessel schedules and timelines.

To achieve this rapid turnaround, ECU Worldwide UAE’s operations boast of industry-leading facilities. It is among the largest and has pioneered NVOCC operators in the UAE, catering to a significant portion of the country’s global trade with seamless ocean freight, air freight cargo and multimodal services.

In addition, ECU Worldwide UAE offers hassle-free customs clearance services and brokerage for all modes of transport at all entry ports with expert Customs Brokers appointed and a dedicated team to coordinate clearance and delivery with brokers. Businesses also benefit from value-added services such as legalisation, ministry approval, SASO, duty advance and exemption, break bulk and special equipment clearance at the industry port, etc. A daily follow up and status report/update to customers and imports, export, re-export and transit clearance, help hasten the processing even more.

The ECU Worldwide advantage

ECU Worldwide UAE offers LCL consolidation with direct end-to-end export services to 53 destinations covering the Upper Gulf, Red Sea, Europe, Far East, East Mediterranean, East Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Indian Ocean Islands.

Meanwhile, importers can benefit from LCL consolidation with direct end-to-end import services from 54 origins covering USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Red Sea, East Mediterranean, Far East and the Indian Subcontinent.

Customers vouch for ECU Worldwide UAE’s air freight experts who carefully look after precious cargo and also offer a wide range of services including export and import door-to-door services, transhipment, charter options, inland transportation and customs clearances.

Winning the warehouse war

At the nerve centre of ECU Worldwide’s operations in UAE are its warehouse and distribution muscle.

Within our 20,000 sq. m. facility, we have two warehouses of 9350 sq. m. with racking to store 6700 Euro pallet positions and block space of 2600 sq. m. ECU Worldwide UAE’s facilities have adequate warehouse lighting with halogen bulbs, are well ventilated and covered with 40 CCTV cameras that have a direct link to the Dubai Police.

“While ECU Worldwide’s business in the UAE has been around for two decades, it is also evolving. With the introduction of our entire range of freight-related products and with the growth of air freight, third party logistics (3PL) and other value-added services, our portfolio is expanding and we are looking forward to new growth avenues. Backed by our strong global network of 300+ offices in 160+ countries and local expertise in major trade centres, we have been able to succeed in challenging markets. Even today for instance, our warehouses are full of 3PL cargo, though so many others are empty, despite being much cheaper,” shares Rene Wernli, Regional CEO, Middle East and Africa, ECU Worldwide.

In the UAE, ECU Worldwide has become the final word in end-to-end logistics and the seamless gateway for your business to the world.