Released on = August 13, 2007, 1:01 am

Press Release Author = Media One Group

Industry = Transportation & Logistics

Press Release Summary = The 2nd Middle East Logistics Awards (MELA) has already
started its voting phase and will run from August 5, 2007 to September 6, 2007.

106 companies nominated! 30 individuals nominated! Nominations encompass 11
countries in the Middle East!



Press Release Body = 106 companies nominated! 30 individuals nominated! Nominations
encompass 11 countries in the Middle East!


August 13, 2007, Dubai, UAE


The nomination phase of the Second Annual Middle East Logistics Awards (MELA 2007)
received overwhelming response from the Middle East logistics community. Reflecting
a wider and enhanced participation from the region's logistics industry, the MELA
2007 Awards nominations grew by 36 per cent compared to 2006 nominations. Thirty
individuals and 106 companies from the logistics industry in 11 countries in the
Middle East are vying for the 24 prestigious MELA Performance Excellence Awards in
logistics as the MELA 2007 Awards stepped into the second phase and opened the
Voting Process on August 5, 2007. The list of nominees that made it to the MELA
ballot came from the nomination process, which started on June 10, 2007, and ended
on July 10, 2007.


The MELA Awards bring together key logistics industry players in the Middle East as
they set benchmarks for performance excellence and recognise the industry's best
practices and give a toast to stellar performers who have made an impact on the
Middle East logistics industry through their valuable contributions.


In the award category for air, four awards await the Best Airport (Air Cargo
Terminal), the Best Express Operator, the Best Air Cargo Carrier, and the Best Air
Charter Operator. For the sea category, three awards lie in wait for the Best
Seaport, the Best Container Terminal, and the Best Shipping Line. For the land
category, awards are instituted for the Best Road Hauler (Best Land Transport
Company) and the Best Rail Operator. Awards are also in store for shippers as the
Best Exporter and the Best Importer. Awards for the Best Logistics Park (Air), the
Best Logistics Park (Sea) and the Best Emerging Free Zone have been incorporated,
while awards for the Best Logistics Service Provider in Sea Freight, Air Freight,
Perishable Logistics and 3PL are also in place. The award for the Best Trade Finance
Bank will recognise key industry players. In recognition of the significant role of
innovations in the progress of the logistics industry in the region, an Innovator of
the Year Award has been incorporated in MELA 2007.


The MELA 2007 Awards not only give a toast to organisations but also to the
deserving individuals who demonstrated leadership and contributed vitally to the
development of the Middle East logistics industry. The four prime individual awards
in logistics are the Hall of Fame Award, the Personality of the Year Award -
Maritime Industry, the Personality of the Year Award - Air Cargo Industry, and the
Personality of the Year Award - Land Transport Industry.


Winners for the MELA 2007 Awards will be determined by the Middle East logistics
community as they cast their vote for the best companies and outstanding individuals
from the industry. A massive media campaign is underway through print, online and
visual media to encourage the participation of the entire Middle East logistics
community in the Voting Process for the MELA 2007 Awards.


Some of the leading logistics bodies have announced their support for MELA 2007.
International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) and Supply Chain
and Logistics Group (SCLG) have joined MELA as Industry Support Patrons. Manfred F
Boes, President, FIATA, and Dr KM Madrecha, Consultative Committee Member, SCLG,
have joined MELA Advisory Board.


The members of the MELA Advisory Board are Manfred F Boes, President, FIATA; Juan
Torrents, President, World Federation of Free Zones (FEMOZA); General Mazen Nadim,
President, Egyptian International Freight Forwarding Association; Samir Choueiri,
President, Lebanese Forwarders' Syndicate; Dr Mahmoud Abdallatt, Secretary General,
Arab Union of Land Transport; Fahad A Hammad, VP - Cargo Sales & Services, Saudi
Arabian Airlines; Ali Khalfan Al Jallaf, VP, Cargo, Department of Civil Aviation,
Dubai, UAE; Captain Mansoor Yasin A Ghafoor, President, National Association of
Freight Logistics (NAFL), Dubai, UAE, and VP, FIATA; Dr KM Madrecha, Consultative
Committee Member, SCLG; Dr Khalid Maniar, Founder & Managing Partner, AGNMAK; Dr
Satish Mapara, Shipping and Legal Consultant, GlobeApex Management Consultants; Dr
Khalid Al Mehairi, Chairman, Emirates Advocates; and Varun Sharma, Head of
Logistics, Maritime and Mercantile International.


The MELA Executive Board includes Mike Lee, Immediate Past President, SCLG; Prakash
Nair, Manager - Network, Cargo Sales Development, Emirates Airline; Aleem Aziz, VP,
Media One Group, and CEO, MELA Management Office; and Martin Menachery, Editor,
Media One Group, and Head - Press & Information, MELA Media Committee, MELA
Management Office.


During the First Annual Middle East Logistics Awards held at Madinat Jumeirah,
Dubai, UAE, on November 21, 2006, a total of 27 awards were handed out to
individuals and organisations for performance excellence in the logistics industry
in the Middle East. Eighteen companies and four individuals were recognised,
fostering healthy competition among equals in the dynamic and competitive logistics
industry in the region.


The MELA 2007 Awards nominations are audited by AGNMAK, Dubai, UAE, the Official
Auditors for MELA Nominations and Voting. The list of contestants in the Voting
Process is based on the audited results of the MELA 2007 Awards nominations. MELA
2007 - which will give away 24 awards to the stellar performers in the Middle East
logistics industry in air, sea and land categories - is slated for November 6, 2007,
in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE.


The Voting Process for MELA 2007 Awards started on August 5, 2007, and is open until
September 6, 2007, 6:00 PM. The ballot forms are distributed in newspapers, and
trade and business magazines in the entire Middle East. The voting could be done
online, OR, completed ballot forms could be faxed at +971 4 297 6988, OR, completed
ballot forms could be posted to MELA Executive Office, PO Box 72247, Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, OR, completed ballot forms could couriered to MELA Executive Office,
401-402 Bu Haleeba Plaza, Al Muraqqabat Road, Deira, Dubai, UAE; Tel: +971 4 297
6987, OR, the complete information needed as per the MELA 2007 Voting Form could be
send by Email at vote@mela.ae


THE FINAL AUDITED LIST OF NOMINEES IN EACH OF THE 24 MELA AWARD CATEGORIES


ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN LOGISTICS - INDIVIDUALS


HALL OF FAME AWARD


1) Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways, Qatar


2) Engr Khalid K Al-Mz'el, Director General, King Fahad International Airport, Saudi
Arabia


3) Fadi Ghandour, President & CEO, Aramex International, Middle East


4) Hamdi Osman, Senior VP - Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, FedEx, Middle
East


5) Humod Al-Ajlan, President, The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, Saudi
Arabia


6) Ram Menen, Divisional Senior VP - Cargo, Emirates Airline, UAE


7) Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman, Dubai Ports World, UAE


PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD - AIR CARGO INDUSTRY


1) Ali Khalfan Al Jallaf, VP - Cargo, Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai, UAE


2) Des Vertannes, Executive Vice President - Cargo, Etihad Airways, UAE


3) Dr Ghanem Al Hajri, Director General, Sharjah Airport Authority, UAE


4) Engr Khalid K Al-Mz\'el, Director General, King Fahad International Airport, Saudi
Arabia


5) Fadi Ghandour, President & CEO, Aramex International, Middle East


6) Hamdi Osman, Senior VP - Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, FedEx, Middle
East


7) Issa Baluch, Chairman & CEO, Swift Freight, UAE


8) Lee Shave, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Gulf Air, Bahrain


9) Michael Proffitt, CEO, Dubai Logistics City, UAE


10) Ram Menen, Divisional Senior VP - Cargo, Emirates Airline, UAE


PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD - LAND TRANSPORT INDUSTRY


1) Bengt Ekstrand, Regional Director, Gulf Agency Company, Middle East


2) David Wild, Commercial Director, DHL Middle East, Middle East


3) Dr Mahmoud Abdallatt, Secretary General, Arab Union of Land Transport, Jordan


4) Fadi Ghandour, President & CEO, Aramex International, Middle East


5) Hamdi Osman, Senior VP - Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, FedEx, Middle
East


6) Hisham Al Oumi, Chairman, Mubarrad Transport Company, Kuwait


7) Laxman Ramsinghani, Director, Mubarak & Sons General Transport, UAE


8) Mark Pell, Managing Director, TNT Express-Gulf, Middle East


9) Michael Stockdale, General Manager, Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


10) Tarek Sultan, Chairman & Managing Director, Agility, Middle East


PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD - MARITIME INDUSTRY


1) Abdulla Mady Al-Mady, President & CEO, United Arab Shipping Company, Kuwait


2) Captain Mansoor Yasin A Ghafoor, CEO, STALCO Group; President, NAFL; & VP, FIATA;
UAE


3) Fawzi Kanoo, Chairman, Kanoo Shipping, Bahrain


4) General Mazen Nadim, Chairman, Nosco Shipping, & Chairman, EIFFA, Egypt


5) Humoud Al Ajlan, CEO, The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia


6) Ibrahim Sharaf, Chairman, Sharaf Group, UAE


7) Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Vice Chairman, Ports & Free Zone Authority, UAE


8) Naeem Bin Ibrahim Al Naeem, Director General, King Abdul Aziz Port, & Chairman,
Arab Seaports Federation, Saudi Arabia


9) Saher Tahlawi, Director General, Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia


10) Tiemen Meester, CEO, Port of Salalah, Oman

INNOVATION IN LOGISTICS


BEST INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD


1) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


2) Aramex International, Middle East


3) Swift Freight, UAE


4) DP World, UAE


5) TNT Express, Middle East


AIR


BEST AIRPORT (AIR CARGO TERMINAL) AWARD


1) Abu Dhabi Cargo Village, UAE


2) Bahrain International Airport, Bahrain


3) Doha International Airport, Qatar


4) Dubai Cargo Village, UAE


5) King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia


6) King Fahad International Airport, Saudi Arabia


7) Sharjah International Airport, UAE


BEST EXPRESS OPERATOR AWARD


1) Aramex International, Middle East


2) DHL Express, Middle East


3) Empost, UAE


4) FedEx Express, Middle East


5) SkyNet Worldwide Express, Middle East


6) TNT Express, Middle East


7) UPS, Middle East


BEST AIR CARGO CARRIER AWARD


1) Cargolux, Middle East


2) Emirates SkyCargo, UAE


3) Etihad Crystal Cargo, UAE


4) Gulf Air, Bahrain


5) Lufthansa, Middle East


6) Qatar Airways, Qatar


7) Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Arabia


BEST AIR CHARTER OPERATOR AWARD


1) Air Charter International, UAE


2) Chapman Freeborn Air Chartering, Middle East


3) Das Air Cargo, Middle East


4) Emirates SkyCargo, UAE


5) Lufthansa Cargo Charter, UAE


6) National Air Cargo, UAE


7) Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Arabia


SEA


BEST SEAPORT AWARD


1) Fujairah Seaport, UAE


2) Jebel Ali Port, Dubai, UAE


3) Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia


4) King Abdul Aziz Port, Saudi Arabia


5) Port of Aden, Yemen


6) Port of Salalah, Oman


7) Sharjah Port, UAE


BEST CONTAINER TERMINAL AWARD


1) Aden Container Terminal, Yemen


2) Aqaba Container Terminal, Jordan


3) Jebel Ali Port Container Terminal, Dubai, UAE


4) Khorfakkan Container Terminal, Sharjah, UAE


5) Salalah Port Container Terminal, Oman


BEST SHIPPING LINE AWARD


1) APL, Middle East


2) Cosco West Asia, Middle East


3) Evergreen Shipping, Middle East


4) Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, Middle East


5) Hyundai Merchant Marine Co, Middle East


6) Maersk Line, Middle East


7) NYK Line, Middle East


8) Orient Overseas Container Line, Middle East


9) The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia


10) United Arab Shipping Co, Middle East


LAND


BEST ROAD HAULER (BEST LAND TRANSPORT COMPANY) AWARD


1) Across Arabia, UAE


2) Agility Logistics, Middle East


3) Aramex International, Middle East


4) Mubarak & Sons General Transport, UAE


5) Mubarrad Transport Co, Kuwait


6) Saudi Land Transport Co, Saudi Arabia


7) TNT Express, Middle East


BEST RAIL OPERATOR AWARD


1) Egyptian National Railways, Egypt


2) Jordan Hejaz Railways, Jordan


3) Saudi Railways Organisation, Saudi Arabia


4) Syrian Railways, Syria


SHIPPERS


BEST EXPORTER AWARD


1) Al Ghurair Group, UAE


2) Al Tayer Group, UAE


3) Juma Al Majid Group, UAE


4) Nokia, Middle East


5) RAK Ceramics, UAE


6) Sony Gulf, UAE


7) The Kanoo Group, UAE


BEST IMPORTER AWARD


1) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


2) Nokia, Middle East


3) Saud Bahwan Group, Oman


4) Sony Gulf, UAE


5) Tawoos LLC, Oman


6) The Olayan Group, Saudi Arabia


7) Unilever Middle East, UAE


LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER


BEST LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD - AIR FREIGHT


1) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


2) DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, Middle East


3) Gulf Agency Company, Middle East


4) Maersk Logistics, Middle East


5) Panalpina Group, Middle East


6) Schenker, Middle East


7) Swift Shipping & Freight Logistics, UAE


BEST LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD - SEA FREIGHT


1) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


2) APL Logistics, Middle East


3) DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, Middle East


4) Gulf Agency Company, Middle East


5) Kanoo Shipping, Bahrain


6) KGL Logistics, Kuwait


7) Maersk Logistics, Middle East

BEST LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD - PERISHABLE LOGISTICS


1) Agility, Middle East


2) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


3) Aramex International, Middle East


4) DNATA, UAE


5) Dubai Flower Centre, UAE


6) Gulf Agency Company, Middle East


7) Swift Perishable Logistics, UAE


BEST LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD - 3PL


1) Agility, Middle East


2) Al-Futtaim Logistics, UAE


3) Aramex International, Middle East


4) DHL Danzas Air & Ocean, Middle East


5) Gulf Agency Company, Middle East


6) KGL Logistics, Kuwait


7) Kuehne+Nagel, Middle East


8) Schenker, Middle East


9) Sharaf Group, UAE


10) Swift Freight, UAE


LOGISTICS PARK


BEST LOGISTICS PARK AWARD - AIR


1) Dubai Airport Free Zone, UAE


2) Dubai Cargo Village, UAE


3) Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone), UAE


BEST LOGISTICS PARK AWARD - SEA


1) Fujairah Free Zone, UAE


2) Hamriya Free Zone, Sharjah, UAE


3) Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UAE


4) Salalah Free Zone, Oman


5) Suez Public Free Zone, Egypt


BEST EMERGING FREE ZONE AWARD


1) Abu Dhabi Free Zone, UAE


2) Ajman Free Zone, UAE


3) Fujairah Free Zone, UAE


4) Kuwait Free Trade Zone, Kuwait


5) Logistics Free Zone, Beirut Port, Lebanon


6) Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone, UAE


7) Zarqa Free Zone, Jordan


KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS


BEST TRADE FINANCE BANK AWARD


1) Citibank, Middle East


2) HSBC, Middle East


3) National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait


4) Oman Arab Bank, Oman


5) Qatar National Bank, Qatar


6) Standard Chartered Bank, Middle East


7) The National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia




Web Site = http://www.mela.ae

Contact Details = For more information, please contact:

Martin Menachery

Head - Press & Information

MELA Media Committee

PO Box 72247

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 4 297 6987/265 4811

Fax: +971 4 297 6988

Email: martin@mela.ae

Website: www.mela.ae


OR


Anthony De leon

Senior Communications Executive

MELA Media Committee

PO Box 72247

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: (+971 4) 297 6987/265 4811

Fax: (+971 4) 297 6988

Email: anthony@mela.ae

Website: www.mela.ae