Talke applies RC in GCC

CARE IN THE COMMUNITY

RESPONSIBLE CARE • TALKE IS ONCE AGAIN LEADING THE CHEMICAL LOGISTICS SECTOR IN SAFETY STANDARDS, APPLYING THE RC AND SQAS INITIATIVES IN ITS THE MIDDLE EAST

THE TALKE GROUP has announced that all of its operations in the Middle East are now operating to the standards demanded by the Responsible Care initiative, the global chemical industry’s voluntary scheme. Within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, Talke says, it is one of the first chemical logistics providers to do so. Its regional operations are now entitled to use the Responsible Care logo.

A basic principle of the Responsible Care scheme is that companies should voluntarily follow stricter environmental standards than those required by local laws and regulations.

TALKE’S FACILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE EXPECTED The parent company, Alfred Talke Logistic Services, has been affiliated to the Responsible Care programme since 2009 and, for its part, was one of Germany’s very first chemical logistics providers to join the initiative.

A LEADER IN SAFETY “By implementing Responsible Care standards for our activities in the Gulf, Talke is once again leading the way in promoting safe and environmentally sustainable chemical logistics activities. All around the world, we see responsible treatment of both people and the environment as one of the most important pillars of our business activities,” says Richard Heath, Talke’s director, Middle East & USA.

“Voluntary commitments such as Responsible Care and systems such as SQAS are of particular importance in the Gulf region, as the statutory provisions there do not cover all fields in detail. In addition, by participating in Responsible Care, we are aiming to raise awareness of environmental matters among other market players and customers, too.”

Indeed, only a couple of years ago Richard Heath played a leading role in developing a pilot project for the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) aimed at establishing SQAS standards in the GCC area. That initiative, originally developed by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), is designed to create a uniform set of metrics for assessing logistics companies’ performance in terms of health, safety, security, environment and quality (HSSEQ).

PARTNERS AND PROJECTS Talke has three joint ventures in the GCC states. It established Aljabr-Talke in 2004 in Saudi Arabia along with its partner Al-Jabr Group; another Saudi company, Sisco, later joined the venture, which is now trading as SA Talke. This company mainly handles polymer granulates and liquid chemicals for industrial customers in Al Jubail.

An Omani joint venture was also established with Al-Jabr Group in 2006, which provides efficient logistics for polymer granulates in the Gulf of Oman area. The newest joint venture in the region, RSA-Talke, was formed in collaboration with RSA Logistics in 2013. This is based around a chemical warehousing facility in the Dubai World Central industrial complex, which offers more than 19,000 pallet spaces for hazardous and non-hazardous materials. It is also well positioned to take advantage of regional and international transport links via the port of Jebel Ali and Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport.

Around the world, the Talke Group handles the bulk liquid, dry bulk and palletised transport of chemicals, polymers and other goods using a range of transport assets, including road tankers and tank containers. It also offers warehousing services, packaging, sampling, tank and silo cleaning, clean room drumming and other value-adding services, and operates a container terminal and rail link at Hürth, near Cologne in Germany. HCB www.talke.com