Awards to celebrate and reward Gulftainer employees' long tenure with the company

Dubai, 20 February, 2012: Gulftainer, the largest privately owned port operator in the world based in Sharjah, held a 'Long Service Awards' gala dinner to celebrate the dedication and commitment of around 50 of its employees, who have been with the company for over 20 years.

The gala dinner was held in the magnificent ballroom of the Corniche Al Buhaira Hotel, Sharjah, where the employees, along with their families, were joined Gulftainer's Senior Management, to offer their congratulations to those who have shown such loyalty and commitment to the company, enabling Gulftainer to become a leader in its field.

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.

The company also announced a growing volume of trade despite the global economic downturn and its effect on economies in the Gulf and wider Indian Ocean region. Growth figures have shown that in October 2011 Gulftainer's UAE Terminals - Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) and Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) - recorded the highest monthly volumes both independently and combined.

Peter Richards, Gulftainer MD, said: "The success of any organization cannot be achieved without the hard work and loyalty of its staff. We are very lucky that we have people here who have given their service for over 20, and in some cases up to 35 years, to this company. Gulftainer organised this dinner to honour these loyal employees for their commitment and dedication and to emphasise to them how valuable we believe their work has been to our success.  I am so proud of what they, and the company, have achieved over these past years".  

Gulftainer also operates and manages a number of projects and investments in several countries, including Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, Africa and Turkey with other ventures worldwide currently being investigated. Gulftainer's logistics subsidiary, Momentum Logistics, was established in 2008 to take over the group's transportation and logistics operations and has offices throughout the Middle East.

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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.

Other port operations include Ruwais Port in Abu Dhabi on behalf of International Plastics Company Borouge. 'Gulftainer Brazil' is due to start operations at the end of 2011 in the port of Recife.

Additionally, the Iraqi Ports Authority awarded Gulftainer the concession to operate and manage container facilities in Umm Qasr Port, the key marine gateway to Iraq. Terminal operations started on Berth 8 in August 2010 and a new terminal, Iraqi Container Terminal, with a capacity of 600,000 teus will commence operations in early 2012. In Iraq, Gulftainer is also active in transportation and has several investment projects throughout the country.

The latest exciting development for the Company is a recently announced joint venture to operate and manage Ust-Luga Port in Russia's Baltic region, with activity commencing at the beginning of 2012

Gulftainer has also established Momentum, a third party logistics company focusing on transport, warehousing, container repair and logistics/ freight solutions. Joint-ventures are in operation in Turkey and Pakistan to provide customers with a larger market area. Momentum has grown rapidly and now has offices throughout the region and agents throughout the world - offering unmatched supply chain solutions.

More information on Gulftainer Group and its businesses may be found on its website at www.gulftainer.com.

For further information, please contact:
Serine Srouji
SAHARA Communications
Tel: +971 4 3298996
Fax: +971 4 3298995
Mob: +971 50 3286188
Email: serin@saharagcc.com
www.saharagcc.com

© Press Release 2012