Re g i on a l N e w s
DHL Express launches direct Bahrain-Jeddah flight
DHL Express has launched a new daily flight connecting Bahrain with Jeddah, one of its gateways in Saudi Arabia’s Western region. The new route will see DHL Express fly seven times a week between Bahrain International Airport and Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, with each Boeing 757 flight carrying up to 22 tons of cargo. DHL becomes the first express provider to offer direct movement and clearance of non-document goods between Bahrain and Jeddah, reducing transit times by anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, for customers shipping to Saudi Arabia’s Western Provinces. Nour Suliman, CEO, DHL Express Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said: “Bahrain forms a key node connecting Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia to other markets like China and the European Union, where air freight volumes have grown by more than 50% since 2011. This new route has allowed us to reintroduce Worldwide Parcel Express services after eight years, at a time when e-commerce and growing regional affluence are causing demand for cross-border consumer shipments to literally soar.” This brings the total number of flights into Saudi Arabia up to 21 per week, with the Bahrain-Jeddah connection further enhancing the transit time at Saudi Arabia’s main express gateway in Riyadh. The new connection allows DHL customers to order pickup of non-document shipments as late as 5pm for same day dispatch, with DHL handling all package movement and clearance from the point of pickup. The route also supports growing volumes of repaired and returned goods between Saudi Arabia and producers in the UAE, USA, and the European Union, primarily in the energy, technology, and life science sectors. Bachi Spiga, head of operations MENA, DHL Express, said: “Imports and exports to and from Saudi Arabia have been increasing in the past few years and show no signs of cooling off, particularly with the US and within the MENA region. This new route will provide much-needed delivery capacity and agility not only to Jeddah and the Western Provinces but also indirectly to the many other Gulf states for which Saudi Arabia acts as a trade hub.” Faysal El Hajjami, country general manager, Saudi Arabia, DHL Express, said: “This investment is timely and supports Saudi Arabia’s transformational blueprint known as Vision 2030, of which one of its pillars is to transform the strategic location of the Kingdom into a global hub connecting three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa; and turning the Kingdom into an epicenter of trade and logistics, and a gateway to the world.”
12 | Logistics News ME | May 2017
Energy
Topaz Energy and Marine announces senior appointments
Offshore support vessel company, Topaz Energy and Marine, announced the appointments of Martin Helweg as chief operating officer (COO) and Hicham Hachkal as human resources director as well as the appointment of Robert Desai as chief commercial officer. Helweg takes over the role of COO from Geoffrey Taylor, who retired after four years of service with Topaz. Helweg joins Topaz from Svitzer, with almost 20 years of experience in finance and leadership roles in the shipping and oil and gas industries, spanning across the Americas, Middle East, and Asia. Hachkal has been appointed as the HR director, and replaces Ealbra Moradkhan, who left the company to pursue new challenges after ten years at Topaz. He brings 20 years of experience mainly in oil and gas companies related to HR strategy, talent development, personnel management, and supporting organisations through economic cycles. René Kofod-Olsen,
CEO, Topaz Energy and Marine said: “I am pleased to welcome this new talent to our executive leadership team. These appointments reflect our commitment to two core aspects of our business: operational efficiency and our people. With their help, I look forward to continuing to build on our healthy business profile, strengthen relationships with key customers, partners, and business groups while maintaining our position as a market leader in OSV. “I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Taylor and Moradkhan, who were both key pillars in making Topaz what it is today. We wish them fair winds in their new endeavours.” Topaz fortifies its leadership team on the back of important contract wins in 2016 with BP Azerbaijan and TCO in Kazakhstan, adding significantly to its industry leading $1.5bn backlog, further improving Topaz’s earnings visibility and credit strength. www.cbnme.com