International freight and logistics firm Damco announced on Wednesday that it had been granted a permanent license to operate in Burma.
A subsidiary of Danish firm Maersk, Damco has ocean, air and land transportation contracts in 90 countries and has a notable presence in China. It becomes one of the first international companies to offer end-to-end logistics services in Burma.
“We have an immediate implementation plan as well as a long-term one to set up logistics capability and infrastructure in Myanmar,” said Damco Cluster Manager Kiattichai Pitpreecha. “This will allow our customers to open up their supply chains and sourcing operations in the country, whilst ensuring the highest standards are met in terms of meeting the principles of the UN Global Compact.”
In a statement on its website, Damco said that it is working closely with UK-based Institute for Human Rights and Business and the Danish Institute for Human Rights to ensure the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights are applied.
The firm said it has made initial steps for setting up an office in Burma, and already has a container freight station operation in Rangoon to manage their first shipments.
