#gulftainer

Sharjah Container Terminal records 400, 000 TEUs in 2014

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) handled 400, 000 TEUs as annual throughput in 2014 which is the double digit volume growth of last year, calling for the celebration by Terminal Operator Gulftainer.

Iain Rawlinson, group commercial director of Gultainer, highlighted the professional approach of Gulftainer’s management along with consistently high productivity levels as a…

Selling off control of America one piece at a time

By: Diane Sori

What pray tell has our country come to, and what pray tell has my beloved state of Florida allowed, as a Middle Eastern company…Gulftainer…was recently awarded a 35-year, $100 million concession agreement to ‘supposedly’ boost cargo operations at Port Canaveral…a port NOT far from the Trident Turning Basin which the Navy uses to support our fleet of nuclear ballistic missile…

Gulftainer Company Limited, which is the largest port handling corporations of the Middle East, is also set to become one of the leading logistics providers in the world. The company has witnessed a steady and impressive rise to the top which is marked by a highly consistent performance for the last many years. This consistency in performance has made the company among the most felicitated companies in its field despite having a hard competition from nearest rivals.    

Gulftainer has attained a great stature in the port handling business after initially starting from handling the Sharjah Port Terminal and then expanding operations to more than 15 countries which include countries from Iraq, Kuwait to Brazil. Such a growth in such a short time is really amazing given the nature of the shipment handling operations.

All successful companies owe their rise to able leadership and management by a central figure that is in charge of all the happenings within the company. For Gulftainer, that person is Peter Richards, who is the highly dynamic and efficient Managing Director of this formidable enterprise. He has guided the company for past many years and led it to the dominating position it holds in the shipping and trading world.

A highly experienced and master mariner, Peter Richards is someone who has always been the perfect man for the sea. He was associated with leading firms before coming on board to Gulftainer in 1987, and has since then been a major driving factor in the astonishing progress that company has made. The even impressive fact is that Gulftainer has made most of its rise during the tenure of Peter Richards.

When Peter Richards joined Gulftainer, the company was an upcoming firm which was starting out, and after nearly 26 years, the company has come a long way from handling local ports to becoming an International Port handler with operations in many countries. Moreover, the volume of shipments handled by the company has grown manifold standing at more than 6 million teu which is bound to grow to 7 million teu in the coming year, cementing its position as the biggest port handler in the Middle East.

Peter Richards has a simple and efficient business model which he implements with precision. He is always one for expansion and rapid growth and has clinched many major deals at regular intervals. Recently, Gulftainer acquired a major stake in a major Saudi Arabian company Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company which will provide a huge momentum to the logistics and overall throughput of the corporation.

Gulftainer Company Limited, one of the preeminent shipping companies and port terminal handlers in the world, is all geared for rapid expansion under the leadership of Peter Richards, the erstwhile Managing Director of the company. It seems that Peter Richards has already got the proper plan in place to ensure that Gulftainer is ready for the exciting times ahead.

Peter Richards mentions on how he plans to proceed with his new expansion strategy, “We are bringing on board some high level and very experienced port industry people to take Gulftainer to the next step” He also added that, “I want to be able to lift my head up and look at opportunities in more detail. At the moment I am chasing my tail since we have got so much on the table”. As for the reason for this shift in gears, he quips playfully, “You have got to read that I am getting old, I am getting tired and I was travelling for 220 days last year. We are manning up to meet the growth of Gulftainer and the desires of the shareholders to continue our expansion”.

Well, the intent is quite clear in these statements and in fact, Peter Richards has already started implementing it. This can be seen in the fact that Gulftainer has already hired prominent new professionals for the task. Peter Ford, who was earlier associated with APM Terminals has been designated as the Group Chief Operating for the Salalah Port. Moreover, he is joined by other new young directors, viz. Jay New, the new Commercial director of the company who came aboard from Hutchison Port Holdings and Maersk Line. Another key person recently appointed is Richard Szuflak, who has joined as the Group Director, Finance and Investment after his masterful stints at CMB Port Group and Babcock & Brown.

Moreover, the company recently acquired a 51% stake in the Saudi Arabian enterprise Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Co. which will enhance the total volume to 7 m teu in 2014. This move is seen as essential since the company is keen to increase its hold on other important terminals such as Khor Fakkan, which is on its way to becoming a serious contender for the biggest port terminal in Middle East, therefore Peter Richards does not want to let this opportunity slip out of hand, since Gulftainer has already registered itself as the top Middle East port terminal handler despite stiff competition.

Gulftainer’s recent efforts to increase its recycling efficiency have been rewarded, as senior management welcomed a delegation from Bee’ah, who presented a certificate to recognise the Company’s ongoing commitment to improving the environment. 

Bee’ah is the Middle East’s largest and award winning waste management company, also based in Sharjah, and their team, Saif Abdulla Al Sharif, Director of the Recycle Business & Collection, Muhammad Musa and Hasim Kathiri, met with Gulftainer’s Group Managing Director, Peter Richards, Group Director of Business Services, Ramesh Shivakumaran and Group QHSE Manager, Magimairaj Bose, to present the award and discuss further initiatives.

  Some of the initiatives now in place within the Gulftainer workplace include: recycling paper, plastic, e-wastes in the offices and oils, batteries and tyres in the engineering departments to name just a few. The company no longer disposes of any of its wastes into landfill.

Gulftainer Co. Ltd. is one of the major port terminal handler as well as one of the leading third party logistics providers today in the UAE and many other countries. It was established in 1976 after the opening of the Sharjah Container Terminal and has handled the terminal since then.  Gulftainer Co. Ltd. expanded its operations over many port terminals situated in different geographical locations all over the world. The company has provided a major impetus to the trade development, especially in the field of container transport in the Middle East.

Apart from the handling of operations at the Sharjah Container Terminal, the Khorfakkan terminal, and Ruwais Port in UAE, the company operates in four other countries i.e. Kuwait, Turkey, The Comoros, and Pakistan as well. The terminals handled are host to some of the biggest names in the trading world and some of the largest shipping corporations are associated with Gulftainer. Moreover, since 2008, the company has launched its logistics division as a full fledged company, i.e. Momentum Logistics which has been operating in Freight forwarding, land transport, airport logistics, container repair and contract logistics in many countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and the Middle East.  Peter Richards is the current Group Managing Director at Gulftainer and is the present head of operations. He is an experienced and qualified Master Mariner who holds a diploma in Nautical Science.

Peter Richards has a marine experience of more than twelve years and he possesses a highly enviable profile of having handled terminal operations viz. container terminals and port operations for more than twenty one years.

Peter Richards joined the Gulftainer Corporation in 1987 where he initially held various positions such as Operations Superintendent, Operations Manager, and Terminal Manager. He is a Board Member of Gulftainer Co. Ltd., an executive chairman of Gulf Comport Management SA, Comoros, and is also a Board Member of GTL MTI Transport Project in Pakistan and a Board Member of Demas International, which is a part of the International logistics branch of Gulftainer Co. Ltd.

Peter Richards is comprehensively involved in all aspects of the functioning of the Gulftainer Corporation. He is the chief person who plans, directs, and oversees the successful execution of any existing or upcoming project of the company. Moreover, he ensures the proper functioning and management of all the existing and new national and international operations at Gulftainer.

Mr. Peter Richards’s philosophy is that of establishing firm hands on control of the company’s operations despite rapid expansion. He believes that better decision making by virtue of smaller lines of communication, maintaining impetus and enhancing performance are essential to respond to ever changing needs of clients in this competitive business world.

Gulftainer Co. Ltd. is one of the major port terminal handler as well as one of the leading third party logistics providers today in the UAE and many other countries. It was established in 1976 after the opening of the Sharjah Container Terminal and has handled the terminal since then.  Gulftainer Co. Ltd. expanded its operations over many port terminals situated in different geographical locations all over the world. The company has provided a major impetus to the trade development, especially in the field of container transport in the Middle East.

 Apart from the handling of operations at the Sharjah Container Terminal, the Khorfakkan terminal, and Ruwais Port in UAE, the company operates in four other countries i.e. Kuwait, Turkey, The Comoros, and Pakistan as well. The terminals handled are host to some of the biggest names in the trading world and some of the largest shipping corporations are associated with Gulftainer.

Moreover, since 2008, the company has launched its logistics division as a full fledged company, i.e. Momentum Logistics which has been operating in Freight forwarding, land transport, airport logistics, container repair and contract logistics in many countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and the Middle East.  Peter Richardsis the current Group Managing Director at Gulftainer and is the present head of operations. He is an experienced and qualified Master Mariner who holds a diploma in Nautical Science.

Peter Richards has a marine experience of more than twelve years and he possesses a highly enviable profile of having handled terminal operations viz. container terminals and port operations for more than twenty one years.

Peter Richards joined the Gulftainer Corporation in 1987 where he initially held various positions such as Operations Superintendent, Operations Manager, and Terminal Manager. He is a Board Member of Gulftainer Co. Ltd., an executive chairman of Gulf Comport Management SA, Comoros, and is also a Board Member of GTL MTI Transport Project in Pakistan and a Board Member of Demas International, which is a part of the International logistics branch of Gulftainer Co. Ltd.

Peter Richards is comprehensively involved in all aspects of the functioning of the Gulftainer Corporation. He is the chief person who plans, directs, and oversees the successful execution of any existing or upcoming project of the company. Moreover, he ensures the proper functioning and management of all the existing and new national and international operations at Gulftainer.

 Mr. Peter Richards’sphilosophy is that of establishing firm hands on control of the company’s operations despite rapid expansion. He believes that better decision making by virtue of smaller lines of communication, maintaining impetus and enhancing performance are essential to respond to ever changing needs of clients in this competitive business world.

Gulftainer Ltd., one of the premier shipping and logistics corporations in the Gulf based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The primary objective of the company is to handle the management and operation of the container terminals at Port Khorfakkan and Port Khalid for the Sharjah Port Authority. Sharjah Port is host to some of the most important shipping lines in the world which include United Arab Shipping Corporation (UASC), American President Lines (APL), Hanjin, China Shipping, Sea Consortium, Hapag Loyd, and the Ethiopian Shipping Lines (ESL). The company also manages other international Port terminals in many countries such as Port Jeddah, Jubail (KSA), Port UMM Qasr (Iraq), and Port Recife (Brazil). Since its inception in 1976, Gulftainer has become one of the most rapidly expanding corporations in the shipping and logistics industry. The company has won some of the most illustrious awards as recognition of excellence in shipping industry and logistics. The company employs more than 1500 professionals who are experienced in numerous fields.

Ramesh Shivakumaran has been an important part of the Senior Management of the corporation for many years now and is currently the Director Finance and Administration at Gulftainer Co. Ltd. He became a financial Chartered Accountant (FCA) after completing his graduation in Commerce (B.Com.) from India and holds an Associate Membership of the Information, Systems, Audit and Control Association (ISACA), USA and that of the Certified Fraud Examiner, USA. He also holds a certification in Logistics Management from North West Kent College, UK.

Mr. Ramesh Shivakumaran joined the corporation in April 1993 and has since then held many critical positions in the Finance and Accounting departments of the company such as Manager Finance & Admin, Finance Controller, and the Asst. Financial Controller. He is also a Board Member and Director in the various bodies of the affiliate companies of the corporation.

Before joining Gulftainer, Mr. Ramesh Shivakumaran was employed at Ernst & Young, Dubai, UAE, from 1988 to 1993, and Price Waterhouse, New Delhi, from 1984 to 1988.

 Mr. Ramesh Shivakumaran is an integral part of the management body of the corporation and he has a major role in overseeing the financial and managerial aspects of the company. He possesses comprehensive experience and skill in management and his areas of thrust within the company are regulation of Financial affairs, Financial reporting, Business planning, Treasury management, Business strategy, and internal control compliance.

Moreover, he is also actively involved in other areas such as corporate governance, risk management, and organizational development by virtue of Information Systems. He also plays a key role in the establishment of IT infrastructure, Administration and Human Resources department, Compensation Management and Integrated Quality Management system development for all national and international operations of the company.