Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline recently signed a five-year trucking contract for a large fleet of trucks which includes trailers, dry boxes and low bed trucks.
The contract, signed with with an unnamed Dubai-based land transportation service provider, consists of 12 reefer trailers designed to handle all temperature sensitive commodities such as perishables, flowers, and pharmaceuticals; 33 dry boxes for all general cargo; and two low bed trucks for handling outsized cargo including aircraft engines, cowlings, and machinery.
Each of the reefer trailers and dry boxes has the capacity to accommodate up to 28 tons.
“Ground transhipment requires the highest degree of care and special handling, from when the commodities are offloaded, right through to when it’s delivered and loaded,” Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice-president for cargo said.
The newly-contracted will trucks move on an inclusive geo-fenced corridor to maintain the speed of connectivity and achieve on time performance goals.
A central control room will monitor all real time movements as the trucks are equipped with a vehicle tracking system and a remote electronic locking system which allows for observation of the security of the vehicles and the sterility of the cargo by alarming and altering any en-route deviations.
Emirates SkyCargo launched its trucking operations on 1 May 2014 in tandem with the start of its freighter operations at Dubai World Central.
As of 1 September 2014, Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet of 47 trucks had facilitated the transhipment of over 108,000 tonnes of cargo between Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central, recording over 17,000 round trips, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Speaking of the company’s decision to migrate to Dubai World Central, Sultan said: “Our decision to move freighter operations to Dubai World Central was a strategic move that enables us to better tap and support Dubai’s growth.
“We now have a dedicated facility for our freighters which allow us to grow our fleet size and meet our growth requirements. The ground transhipment service has now embedded into our operations, with the Emirates SkyCargo trucks becoming part a common sight in Dubai,” Sultan added.