ARIA Commodities to invest Dhs154m in projects in Sharjah’s Hamriyah Free Zone

ARIA Commodities, a company that deals with asphalt and distillates, and storage infrastructure development, has announced it will invest a total of Dhs154m in the construction of four plants in Sharjah’s Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZA), including a bitumen plant, refinery, tire cycling plant, and a storage terminal.

ARIA has also announced it will lease three additional plots of land in the free zone, bringing the total number of plots acquired to five, with a combined area of 540,000 square feet.

ARIA’s new expansion plan was revealed during a ceremony held recently to sign a lease agreement with HFZA.

ARIA Group’s industrial base, which is located in HFZA, was established in February 2021.  The four new facilities are designed to adhere to sustainability standards as well as the optimal use of natural resources, which supports the company’s commitment to renewable energy and the UAE’s goal of Net Zero 2050.

Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, HFZA’s director said the new investments will not only enhance the sustainability standards in Sharjah but also support the UAE’s efforts to adopt circular economy concepts. “ARIA’s new plants will be eco-friendly. Not only will the four plants improve the optimum use of natural resources, but they will also help reduce industrial waste and extend the life cycle of materials and products by adopting environmentally friendly measures.”

He emphasised that the investment will also bolster Sharjah’s strategy, which seeks to develop solutions, services, and products that cement sustainable growth and advance the local economy towards greater prosperity.

“It is projected that ARIA’s expansion goals would also support the national industrial strategy. In addition to enhancing the value of products made in the UAE, they will help meet the growing demands of key sectors on which the national economy of the country is based, such as construction, chemical industries, roads, maritime transport, petroleum products, and logistics services for the aviation sector. We will make every effort to satisfy such demands, diversify, and improve UAE exports to several nations in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa,” Al Mazrouei added.

Mirat Bhadlawala, CEO and COO of the ARIA Group, said that the company aims to be a one-stop-shop in the road and civil construction sector, and manufacturing and trading of distillates, not just within Hamriyah, but also globally, to cater to the gas oil and bunkering markets too.

He said the decision to base ARIA’s industrial operations in HFZA was a step in the right direction: the free zone is strategically located as an oil zone with multi-dimensional infrastructure catering to the UAE holistically; the north and south are equidistant and within easy reach and the port infrastructure serves, not just the UAE, but also surrounding regions.

Bhadlawala added: “We aim to create a safer environment globally by introducing environmentally friendly, renewable products supporting the circular economy, which will be used in the road paving industry; and the refinery will support green fuel for vehicles and bunkers complying with IMO 2020. Our plants will cater to projects spanning from diversified terrain roads to high-intensity surfaces such as airport runways.”

He stated that the company’s target audience includes road contractors, bunkering industries, cement factories (crushers), paving industries,  industrial fuel, chemical and paint industries, and the automobile and transportation sector.

In recent news, HFZA partnered with Rafid Automotive Solutions to establish an integrated technical centre within the free zone and provide vehicle repair, maintenance, inspection, as well as registration services and roadside assistance.

Read: Sharjah’s Hamriyah Free Zone, Rafid partner to set up integrated technical centre for auto services