Manufacturers and trading houses looking for a safe place to store hazardous chemicals have a new site to consider following the official opening of Chemstore at the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Demand for storage at the facility has grown strong in the run up to the opening. Chemstore, Dubai's first sate-of-the-art third-party hazardous chemicals warehousing facility, is a joint venture between Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) and the Dutco Group subsidiary Modern Freight Company (MFC).

"There has been a lot of interest from multinationals and chemical traders who need to place their stocks of hazardous chemicals in a safe neutral handling facility," said Hussain Sultan, Enoc Group chief executive and board member. "The synergy between the Enoc group and MFC makes up a powerful industry combination and Chemstore is set to become a benchmark for regional skill sets in hazardous chemical handling and storage."

The 2,740 sq m Chemstore warehouse has a handling capacity of between 2,500 - 17,000 drums depending on the hazard level of the chemicals to be stored.

Meeting stringent UAE government environmental standards, Chemstore has advanced safety features, including fire-fighting and spillage-containment systems. The facility includes a separate modern office unit housing management, inventory control processes and related functions.

"Chemstore will prove to be a major benefit to the supply chain of hazardous chemicals throughout the Middle East," said Tariq Baqer, managing director, Dutco Group. "Our priority now is to obtain ISO accreditation for our facility and services in line with the international operating standards of both ENOC and MFC."

Chemstore can accommodate low- or high-flash chemicals in drums or bags. It offers clients options of palletised or non-palletised storage forms, as it was designed to offer maximum flexibility.

It can store chemicals falling under NFPA classifications, including IB, IC, II, IIIA and IIIB.

"The capital-intensive chemicals industry produces more than 50,000 different chemical substances. The sheer scale of the industry is testimony of its growth potential," said Hussain Sultan.

"Demand for chemicals is heavily reliant on manufacturing and construction, two key Middle East growth areas. The region's constantly developing infrastructure guarantees Chemstore's commercial success."

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman of the Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, opened the facility at a ceremony that was attended by industry and government officials including Ahmad Buti, general manager of the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, Hussain Sultan and Baqer.