DOHA: The Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC) has set up a huge hazardous materials storage facility in the Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC), the hub of Qatar's vibrant upstream industry.
This is the first such facility set up in RLIC in third party logistics field. In other words, companies operating in RLIC have their own in-house storage facilities for hazardous materials.
But since their storage capacities are limited and their business is growing, they will now be able to store hazardous materials in Gulf Warehousing's newly-set up facility named 'Hazmat Storage Facility.
Oil and gas companies operating in RLIC need hazardous materials mostly for maintenance (cleaning) purposes. They are plant requirements and include flammable and inflammable materials, oxidizers and corrosive products, to name a few.
The Hazmat storage solutions provide safe storage and handling of International Materials Organization (IMO)-classified materials of classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.
Classes 1 and 7 are excluded because class 1 covers explosive materials (RDX), while class 7 covers radioactive materials which do not find use in oil and gas industry.
The Hazmat facility is built to the highest standards of safety and includes temperature-controlled and dedicated compartments for different classes of chemicals, explosion-proof electrical systems, alarm monitoring, gas and smoke detection system, epoxy-coated floor finish and appropriate spillage containment system.
The facility is fully equipped to accommodate 25,000 pallets and also incorporates loading and unloading bays with hydraulic dock levelers and large staging area for special cargo handling.
The state-of-the-art facility is backed up by a team of professionals representing a repository of expertise in import logistics and dangerous goods regulations.
The facility is a bright spot in GWC's strategy as this unique service offering will enhance the company's ability to provide one-stop solution, said Rajeev Menon, CEO of GWC, on the occasion of its formal opening.
The facility was inaugurated yesterday by the director of RLIC, Sheikh Khalid Khalifa Al Thani, in presence of Mohamed Ismail Al Emadi, chairman of GWC, and Sheikh Fahad bin Hamad Al Thani, vice-chairman.
© The Peninsula 2009
