Buoyed by a 10% increase in volumes at its Khorfakkan and Sharjah operations last year, Gulftainer is confident that this year will be just as successful.

    Proving adept at riding out the slumps, operator Gulftainer has kept volumes growing despite a weak global economy and it seems 2012 will be no different.

    The company’s commercial manager Keith Nuttall believes that volumes in the Gulf Co-operation Council region are stable enough to support continued growth this year.

    Speaking with Port Strategy, he said: “The Dubai market is a bit quiet but the surrounding region is still spending large amounts of money on infrastructure. In my view, there’s enough cake for all.”

    Mr Nuttall is also encouraged by the momentum of the Etihad rail project connecting the Emirates and beyond, which now has cash-rich Abu Dhabi at the wheel.

    “Abu Dhabi is now driving the Etihad rail project which is good because that means it will happen,” he says. “We welcome this. It’s several years down the line, but the political will is there. It’s a great development for the UAE; as a port operator we fully support it.

    “We can stargaze as it will take quite a while for it to come to fruition and if it is truly going to work we must have greater integration of customs, but there are still lots of reasons why it will be pushed. From a Khorfakkan perspective, we are in a great position to make use of a burgeoning GCC trade.”

    However, he said, the elephant in the room is the opening of Abu Dhabi’s new terminal in a year’s time, with neighbouring DP World’s Jebel Ali also announcing a 4m teu expansion in December. “One has to say it will be interesting to see how that will develop,” said Mr Nuttall.

    Outside of the Middle East, Gulftainer’s operations at Recife, Brazil are now due to start early in 2012 with mobile cranes and handling equipment having arrived in recent weeks.

    And Ust-Luga in Russia - Gulftainer’s newest project – hopes to capitalise on St Petersburg’s crippling congestion.

    “The Russian government is keen to get infrastructure moving; in terms of what could move and what is moving there’s a gap. Ust Luga will provide a very viable alternative to St Petersburg. We plan to be operational from the early part of next year.”

    He confirms that the operator is still looking at other options with the caveat that “we need to fully assess what’s on offer”.

    And certainly there’ll be more to come from this emergent international player with Mr Nuttall confiding that Gulftainer is looking at other plans.

    “We’re not going for big headline projects, but there are still plenty of irons in the fire. We don’t write anything off, we’re looking for good business cases.”

(source:http://www.portstrategy.com/news101)