Gulf Warehousing Company Q.P.S.C. of the GWC Group, which is a prominent logistics group in the region that offers cross-border and integrated logistics solutions, successfully completed one of the first frozen bulk vessel operations in the Sultanate of Oman, boosting its cold chain supply capacity that ranges from vessel handling and temperature-controlled storage facilities to cross-border distribution and opening up a new route for frozen cargo into Qatar.
It is worth noting that frozen goods imported into Oman usually arrive in standard containers. Full frozen bulk vessel management calls for specialist cold chain skills at every stage, be it vessel offloading to temperature-controlled storage and subsequent distribution, ensuring unaltered temperature integrity right from the port to the warehouse.
The successful delivery of the first operation earned GWC Group a second larger commission – which apparently is the largest frozen bulk vessel operation the Group has ever handled to date. GWC Group went on to secure a long-term cold storage contract with the customer, evolving the partnership from vessel handling to continuous storage as well as regional distribution.
As part of boosting its cold chain supply capacity, the Group also commenced shipping frozen poultry products by road from Barka, Oman, to Qatar as well as Kuwait, thus taking overall volumes to over 1,000 truckloads of frozen cargo, being handled, preserved, and shipped throughout various GCC markets such as Qatar.
Matthew Kearns, GWC Group CEO, said that “This operation demonstrates what our regional network is designed to do. By connecting our capabilities in Oman with our established infrastructure in Qatar, we are creating additional routes for temperature-sensitive goods into the country while strengthening resilience across the wider supply chain. As we grow across the GCC, our operations are increasingly working as one network, connecting markets and strengthening the infrastructure behind regional cold chain flows.”
The fact is that the expansion of the Oman operation is indicative of the continuous development of the regional platform of the GWC Group and its function in linking logistics infrastructure and capabilities throughout the GCC markets.
Notably, over the last couple of years, GWC Group tripled its net revenue contributions from international operations by expanding its footprint in nations such as Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain.
The handling of frozen bulk cargo requires stringent and continuous temperature regulation right from receiving it at the port to storage and transportation across the borders, said the General Manager of GWC Oman operations, Haitham Al Rawahi. He further said that “our teams in Oman delivered this complex operation without compromise, supported by GWC Group’s specialized assets and technical expertise.”
GWC Group’s international cold chain capabilities are further reinforced by a comprehensive logistics network throughout the GCC as well as a global freight network operating in over 120 nations via over 550 partners spanning the world.
The Group manages over 4 million square meters of logistics infrastructure backed by more than 1,600 specialized vehicles and 20 strategic locations throughout the GCC, thereby moving over 2 million tonnes of freight every year.
