Gulftainer keeps on breaking records

Gulftainer Company Limited (GTL), the largest privately owned ports operator in the world, based in Sharjah, have announced that throughput at their Sharjah terminals — Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) and Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) — has increased by over 23 per cent from January 2012 to July 2012 compared with the corresponding period last year and are estimated to exceed 3.5 million TEUs in 2012. This remarkable performance, forecast to continue throughout the rest of the year, means that Gulftainer will continue to break its own records despite the global economy going through yet another difficult year. The accomplishment, according to published industry figures, means that Gulftainer’s Middle East ports have been the fastest growing ports in the region over the last 4 years. While many regional players posted results of below 10 per cent, Gulftainer has continued to show double-digit growth. Gulftainer Group Managing Director, Peter Richards, commented: “Gulftainer continues to work closely with our customers in order to continue this good work. We are absolutely delighted to have achieved such successful results for the year to date. The volume increases in KCT and SCT are an obvious reflection of the trust that customers place in us.” “These records set by Gulftainer demonstrate the increased volume of trade in the area and we remain very optimistic about prospects for the whole region in the coming years. As we continue through 2012, with the help and support of the Sharjah Ports Authority, we can look forward to a prosperous year ahead as we improve our facilities and increase equipment levels to deliver consistent operational performance to all our stakeholders,” he added. Gulftainer management put this sustained consistency down to the ability to be flexible and swift to act. “Gulftainer goes the extra mile to ensure that we are in contact with all customers on a regular basis, we listen to what they have to say and act on what we hear. This means that we pick up market information and detail early and because we are agile in our decision making, we can react quickly in order to satisfy the demands of our customers and the market,” Richards commented. An increase in export volume from the Middle East countries has also resulted in additional full volumes through Gulftainer’s facilities, requiring terminal layouts to be reviewed and revised. The co-operation of shipping lines together on services has resulted in the need for increased dialogue and co-ordination between the terminal operators and the Lines. Gulftainer Group has been operating in the UAE and around the world for over 35 years. In the UAE it operates three main UAE ports: two on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority - Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) and Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT); and one in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, on behalf of the international plastics solutions company, Borouge. Gulftainer has been able to maintain a strong position in the UAE through its ports at Sharjah and Khorfakkan, and KCT was named ‘Shipping Port of the Year’ at the Annual Supply Chain and Transport Awards (SCATA 2011) in Dubai. In recent years Gulftainer has also invested in Iraq, Russia and now Brazil, with the company recently welcoming the first vessel into its Recife Port facility. Gulftainer, a privately owned UAE enterprise established in 1976, is a rapidly expanding, dynamic ports and logistics company now operating in various parts of the world. Two modern container terminals are operated on behalf of Sharjah Port Authority in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Khorfakkan Container Terminal, located on the East coast of the Emirates, is one of the region’s leading gateway container terminals, handling in excess of 3 million TEUs. Sharjah Container Terminal acts as a key import/export facility for industries located in Sharjah as well as for the industrial zones established in Dubai. Gulftainer also owns and operates a large Inland Container Terminal, providing 35 covered warehouses and container depot. From gulftoday