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Gulftainer News

07 Jan 2019

Gulftainer Names Fred Castonguay New Group CEO

UAE-based privately-owned port operator Gulftainer has appointed Fred Castonguay its new group chief operating officer to strengthen its growing ports and logistics portfolio globally.Castonguay previously served as the vice president of Operations at Ports America Group and as president and COO for Ports America Outer Harbour in Oakland, California.Peter Richards, Group Chief Executive Officer at Gulftainer, said: “We are pleased to welcome Fred Castonguay on board as Group Chief Operating Officer of Gulftainer. His expertise and strengths in terminal operations and leadership will continue to reinforce our global reputation. A seasoned industry veteran with a keen focus on operational excellence…

19 Sep 2018

Gulftainer Signs 50-year Lease for Port of Wilmington

Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately-owned independent port operator and logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates, finalized a 50-year concession agreement with the state of Delaware to operate and develop the Port of Wilmington, significantly expanding the company’s global footprint and reach.The agreement, signed by Gulftainer’s subsidiary GT USA, will see an expected investment of up to $600 million in the port to upgrade and expand the terminal and to turn it into one of the largest facilities of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard.The port deal represents the largest operation ever run by a UAE company in the United States, as well as the largest investment ever by a private UAE company in the country.At a public signing ceremony held in Wilmington, Gov.

30 Jul 2018

Gulftainer Wins RoSPA Awards 2018 for Occupational Health and Safety

Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately owned independent port operator and logistics company based in the UAE, has been handed the 2018 prestigious Gold Award by the UK-based RoSPA Award Scheme.Gulftainer has been recognised for its commitment to employee health and safety standards at its flagship gateway terminal, Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT), in Port Khalid.Recognising significant milestones in health and safety management systems including best practices in leadership and workforce involvement, the RoSPA Awards scheme receives submissions from organisations around the world. Gold medals, President’s awards, Orders of Distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining the highest standards.Speaking on the achievement…

14 Aug 2017

Gulftainer Receives Maiden Call of CMA CGM Virginia

Gulftainer, the largest privately owned independent port operator, has marked the maiden call of the CMA CGM Virginia vessel with a capacity of 5,095 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) at its flagship Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT). The vessel call was completed in a record 5.6 hours, approximately 8.4 hours ahead of schedule. CMA CGM, a leading worldwide shipping group, currently operates a diversified fleet of 445 vessels with a combined capacity of over two million TEU. The company has deployed the 294-metre-long vessel on its newly launched INDIAMED service that links the strategic zones of the East Mediterranean with Djibouti, Arabian Gulf, Pakistan and India.

11 Oct 2016

Kalmar Bags Gulftainer Order

Kalmar signed an agreement with Gulftainer Lebanon SAL to supply six Kalmar T2 terminal tractors and one Kalmar DCF80-45E7 empty container handler. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2016 third quarter order intake and the first delivery will take place in October 2016. The rest of the order will be delivered during the first quarter of 2017. Established in 1976, Gulftainer is a privately owned, independent port management and third-party logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates. The company's international presence spans the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, with port activities in the UAE, Iraq, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. The new equipment will be delivered to the Port of Tripoli in Lebanon. Mr.

30 Sep 2016

Gulftainer Mulls Brazil Divestment

Sharjah-based port operator Gulftainer  is considering pulling out of Brazil where it operates a port on the country’s northeastern coast, Gulf News reported quoting chief executive Flemming Dalgaard. The company will make a decision before the end of the year, Dalgaard said. Gulftainer, 50 per cent owned by conglomerate Crescent Enterprises, was awarded an operator certificate for Brazil’s Recife port in 2011. Few months ago, Daalgard stated that the port was “not performing as would like it to” and that there had been no decision at the time on whether it should withdraw. Daalgaard also said Wednesday that Gulftainer remains in discussions to operate two ports in the United States. The terminal operator entered the US market in 2015 with a 35-year contract for Port Canaveral in Florida.

11 Apr 2016

Largest UASC Ship Calls at Khorfakkan Terminal

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), a leading container shipping line and emerging global carrier, and Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately-owned, independent port operator based in the UAE, marked the maiden call of UASC’s 15,000 TEU M.V. Linah into Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT), at an event today. The M.V. Linah is the largest UASC vessel to call at Khorfakkan Port to date, and is one of the ships built as part of UASC’s advanced newbuilding program; worth over USD2.3 billion and comprising 17 ships to be delivered between November 2014 and 2016, of which 11 are 15,000 TEU vessels and six are 18,800 TEU vessels. The superior…

19 Jan 2016

Container Service to Connect Port Canaveral

GT USA, the US arm of UAE-based global ports and logistics company Gulftainer, announced the new ‘Blue Stream Service’, a weekly container cargo service connecting Port Canaveral to Europe, the French West Indies, and Central America. Blue Stream Service, operated by StreamLines, part of the SeaTrade Group, will provide refrigerated and dry container service to and from GT USA’s Canaveral Cargo Terminal, with a focus on fresh produce and perishable cargo. The Blue Stream Service will feature five ships with 1,300 TEU capacity and 250 reefer plugs on a weekly rotation. The new line will serve Central America to Port Canaveral in just three days and will offer the fastest transit time between Florida and Europe, just 11 days.

24 Aug 2015

Larger Ships, Demand Driving Port Investment Boom

APM Terminals Mobile Alabama (Photo: APM Terminals)

Rising global container port demand and ever larger vessels are driving terminal operators to make significant investments in additional capacity, according to the Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Report 2015 published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. Drewry predicts average global container port demand growth of 4.5 percent per annum through to 2019. This equates to an additional 168 million teu of port traffic, bringing the global total to nearly 850 million teu. Asia accounts for over 60 percent of the forecast global demand growth.

15 Jun 2015

UAE Cargo Handler Tests Florida Waters

Sharjah-based ports operator Gulftainer has opened Canaveral Cargo Terminal at Port Canaveral in Florida in the US for business. Gulftainer, a subsidiary of UAE-based conglomerate Crescent Enterprises, said the opening comes one year after Canaveral Port Authority signed a 35-year agreement with GT USA, the US arm of Gulftainer, to operate and further develop the container and multipurpose cargo terminal. The opening comes one year after Canaveral Port Authority signed a 35-year agreement with GT USA, the US arm of UAE-based global ports and logistics company Gulftainer, to operate and further develop the container and multipurpose cargo terminal.

01 May 2015

Gulftainer’s Khorfakkan Terminal Sets Record Unloading

UAE based Gulftainer, a terminal operating and logistics company, set a new record for the handling of the largest unloading and loading of a single vessel call at its Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT), at 19,561 TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent unit). It handled 19,561 20-foot-equivalent units of containers in 54.4 hours on a single call at its Khorfakkan Container Terminal in at Sharjah. The terminal staff completed the record breaking call of the CMA CGM Jules Verne container ship with the help of 11 cranes. The 396m CMA CGM Jules Verne, with a 54m beam, is the largest container ship in the world sailing under the French flag. “With…

14 Oct 2014

Moody’s Upgrades Port Canaveral’s Bond Rating

Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded Canaveral Port Authority’s $30.2 million in outstanding revenue bonds to A2 from A3 and rated its financial outlook stable. The upgrade was attributed to low leverage, cruise growth, stable finances and proactive capital plan management. Port Canaveral’s five-year capital plan totals nearly $600 million, which will be financed with a combination of grants, matching funds, cash flow and unrestricted cash balances. The major current project is a new cruise terminal for Royal Caribbean, which is paying half of the $105 million total cost.

24 Jun 2014

Port Canaveral Signs 35-year Agreement With GT USA

On June 23, Port Canaveral signed a 35-year agreement with GT USA, the United States business arm of international terminal operator Gulftainer, to operate and develop its container and multi-purpose cargo terminal. The terminal is set to open in the last quarter of 2014. The partnership with Port Canaveral is Gulftainer’s first entry into the U.S. market. Currently the largest privately owned terminal manager in the world, the 38-year-old company is expanding its global portfolio with the goal of becoming one of the top six global terminal operators by 2020. According to Peter Richards, Gulftainer’s Managing Director, Port Canaveral was selected because of its ample space…

23 Jun 2014

Mideast Firm to Operate Cargo Terminal at Port Canaveral

A Middle Eastern-owned company landed its first North American port operations contract on Monday, a 35-year agreement with Port Canaveral on Florida's east coast. Under terms of the lease, Gulftainer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Arab Emirates-based Crescent Enterprises, will invest up to $100 million in equipment and employees to operate a container and cargo terminal under construction at Port Canaveral, just south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. "Our intent is to reach up into that southeast manufacturing belt and into the traditional heartland markets for distribution and logistics," Port Canaveral Chief Executive John Walsh said at a signing ceremony.

26 Aug 2013

Gulftainer Group Looks Beyond Middle East

Khorfakkan Container Terminal: Image courtesy of Gulftainer

Peter Richards, Gulftainer Group Managing Director, estimates that the expansion of latest deals will thrust Gulftainer into the world's exclusive group of top port operators. He says Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) has topped industry productivity rankings for the past five years, and that both it and Mina Khalid are used as industry benchmarks by shipping lines. The UAE's largest private port operator has dramatic plans, which could "virtually double the size" of the company Richards believes.

24 Jun 2013

Gulftainer Takes Majority Stake in GSCCO

Jeddah Terminal: Photo courtesy of Jeddah Sea Ports

Gulftainer, the Sharjah-based port management & logistics company, takes a 51 percent stake in Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company (GSCCO), to assume full management of three Saudi terminals, located in Jeddah and Jubail. The acquisition makes Gulftainer the largest port operator in the Middle East with regards to the number of terminals operated in the region, with the company managing 40 percent of all the major container terminal facilities in the Middle East that have the capacity to handle ships of 12…

21 Feb 2013

Gulftainer Reports Huge Middle East Port Growth

Gulftainer has recorded a 24% overall increase on trade volumes in 2012 when compared with the previous year. Its Sharjah ports saw the greatest volumes throughout the year, with Khorfakkan Container Terminal seeing growth of 28 per cent on its 2011 figures with a staggering throughput of over 3.3m TEU. The consistent organic growth of Gulftainer is the largest of any Middle East port operator, with trade volumes more than tripling in the past decade. The company’s portfolio covers three UAE operations, Khorfakkan, Sharjah and Ruwais, as well as in Iraq at Umm Qasr, Recife in Brazil, and the recently acquired Tripoli Port in Lebanon, with further plans across the Middle East and international territories for 2013.

07 Jan 2013

First Middle East Call for Juggernaut Containership

CMA CGM Marco Polo: Photo credit CMA CGM

Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) became the first terminal operator in the Middle East to handle the world’s largest container ship, 'CMA CGM Marco Polo'. With a length of four standard football pitches (396 metres), 54 metres beam and requiring a draft of 16m, Khorfakkan is one of the few ports in the world able to accommodate Marco Polo’s massive 16,020 TEU capacity, reports 'The Gulf Today'. The ship's arrival at KCT was marked with a presentation from Gulftainer to Captain Igor Sikic of the Marco Polo and CMA CGM representatives…