A.P. Moller-Maersk announced construction of the company’s first low greenhouse has (GHG) emissions contract logistics warehouse in Denmark, realized in partnership with Taulov Dry Port, a Danish joint venture between ADP A/S and PFA Pension.
The green contract logistics warehouse is part of Maersk’s strategy to accelerate the delivery of fulfillment capability in Denmark and is aiming to be built to BREEAM Excellent standards with zero direct emissions from operations in accordance with Maersk’s overall goal to decarbonize its entire operations by 2040.
“We are pleased to announce our first green contract logistics warehouse in Denmark,” Birna Odefors, area managing director, Nordics, at Maersk, said. “Many of our customers are looking for long-term partners that have such capabilities to reduce their entire climate footprint. The Taulov facility also has a strategic position in Europe and will be a key asset to serve our customers as a deconsolidation point and add value by optimizing transport modes with its port, rail and road links creating flexibility in flows by accelerating or slowing down supply chains.”
The 40,000-square-meter facility has an option for an additional 40,000 square meters and is scheduled to become operational in 2024. It will be located in Taulov in South Denmark, underpinning Maersk’s strong logistics footprint in Northern Europe and responding to rising market demands.
Related Stories
“The typical customer needs in the fields of contract logistics are to support their inventory control, cost optimization, extended visibility, speed to market and a consistent, sustainable flow of goods to reinforce their supply chain resilience,” Odefors said. “As consequence, many of our customers are looking to build upon their offerings to their markets and require logistics partners with asset control to support their growth strategies by establishing long-term sustainable contract logistics solutions and not just to cover the short-term demand arising due to Covid-19.”
Maersk’s emissions targets entail that at least 90 percent of its global cold chain and contract logistics operations will be certified as green (scope 1 and 2) by 2030.
Taulov Dry Port owns the commercial land and the logistic premises. Since Taulov Dry Port was established in 2017, the joint-venture partnership between ADP A/S and PFA Pension has been based on ambitions of being innovative in the development modern storage and logistics buildings and leading sustainable transport infrastructure, which includes the construction of Denmark’s largest hydrogen refueling station.
The parties have reached an agreement with Maersk for a 12-year lease with the option to extend and expand. The warehouse will be built by Taulov Dry Port based on Maersk’s specifications and design.
“We are proud to be part of Maersk’s sustainable value chain supporting their customers with visionary sustainable logistics solutions,” Rune D. Rasmussen, CEO at ADP A/S, said. “Taulov Dry Port is a European multimodal logistic hub and key player in the green transition of the logistic sector due to the sustainable infrastructure with the Port of Fredericia, the motorway and railway network. Soon the area will also be ready for the transition toward new green fuels such as hydrogen, which will be an important asset for Maersk, as well as our other customers.”
Advances in technology, new industry standards and increasing customer demand for sustainable supply chains have speeded up the ambitious project, Maersk noted. All indoor and outdoor equipment in the warehouse will be electrified, solar panels will be installed on the entire roof of the warehouse and excess renewable energy produced will be fed to the grid. Battery driven trucks will be used for all shunting operations and hydrogen stations are planned within 150 meters from site.
The warehouse has a zero emissions approach to direct and indirect aspects of the operations. Charging not only will be provided to electric commercial trucks and cars, but also private cars, bicycles and electric scooters.
“This important partnership once again proves that Denmark is at the forefront of green transition and that climate and logistics can go hand in hand,” Michael Bruhn, executive director at PFA, said. “As Denmark’s largest property investor, PFA has set an ambitious goal of cutting 33 percent of the emissions from our Danish portfolio by 2025, and Maersk will now become a decisive part of this in order to generate long-term and sustainable returns for our 1.4 million Danish pension customers.”