Maersk has opened a dedicated Cross Dock facility on its Maasvlakte II port in Rotterdam. From the point of vessel arrival to the point of sale, it will considerably speed up the flow of cargo, particularly in the hinterlands of Germany, France, and the Benelux. Within hours of a vessel discharging its containers, the contents can be unloaded, repacked, and transported to regular trucks before reaching their destination. In the recently opened warehouse, which has a total area of 23,000 sqm, 120 docks, and temporary storage space, Maersk welcomed Starbucks as the first client. When the warehouse is operating at full capacity, about 200 additional jobs will be generated.

The opening of this specialist cross-docking warehouse next to the point at which our vessels unload their containers demonstrates Maersk's capacity to oversee and manage our customers' supply chains from the point of manufacture to the point of sale. In periods of heightened disruption and geopolitical threats, this gives supply networks more resilience, flexibility, and visibility. We are expediting a portion of the supply chain in our new Cross Dock when, in certain situations, others are losing days. It will only take a few hours with our Priority Flow service to get cargo from a vessel to its destination.

The Cross Dock is situated in the center of the biggest port in Europe on the Maersk-owned terminal Maasvlakte II. There is a direct internal road connection between Terminal and Cross Dock. In order to facilitate the prompt return of emptied containers to the depot and lower D&D expenses for clients, a second straight road links to the greatly expanded STAR depot. Lastly, the Cross Dock provides a value-added services area as well as a completely bonded customs environment. At Maasvlakte II, a sizable coldstore warehouse is being built for clients who ship fresh vegetables, medications, meat, fish, and other frozen foods that must not spoil quickly. It will operate from the end of 2024 and feature 40,000 square meters of space with multiple temperature zones.

On Maasvlakte, we're building an integrated ecological system with good access to the road, rail, and barge. Here, all the component parts and value-adding services of supply chains and logistics come together to form a cohesive whole that makes logistics easier for our clients. It is an excellent illustration of how Maersk's integrator strategy is implemented.

With a net-zero ambition by 2040, Maersk has set high standards for decarbonizing logistics on land, in the sea, and in the air. Consequently, every new asset, including warehouses and ships, is designed to produce extremely little greenhouse gas emissions. Our new Cross Dock was constructed in compliance with the sustainability criteria of BREEAM Excellent. The cold-store warehouse adjacent to it will also help it. Reusing the leftover heat from the coldstore at the Cross Dock will result in yearly electricity savings for Maersk exceeding 200,000 kilowatt-hours.