Khorfakkan welcomes one of region's largest ever container ships

At 11,000 TEU, the 347 metre-long ship is not only the largest ship handled by Gulftainer since its inception in 1976, but also one of the largest ever handled by any port in the region.

On hand to welcome the massive vessel was Gulftainer's Commercial Manager, Keith Nuttall, and Terminal Manager, Dag Froehmcke, who made a 'maiden call' presentation to the ship's master, Captain Wilhelm Cubasch, on Friday 12 December 2008 to commemorate the historic occasion.

Mr Nuttall said:

"As well as being a historic occasion, KCT's handling of the 'CMA CGM Vela was an important achievement for Gulftainer, as it shows that we can handle these large container ships, which are steadily increasing in number. Nearly 200 large container ships of 10,000 TEU+ are on order over the next four years, and this has confirmed that KCT will be able to continue to provide the high levels of service that people have come to expect to these new ships as well."

A latest generation vessel, the 'CMA CGM VELA' was built in the Daewoo South-Korean yard and is deployed on the FAL1 service linking Asia and Europe. She has a 15.5 meter draft and a maximum speed of 24.6 knots. CMA CGM is currently the world's third largest container shipping company, serving 400 ports of call around the world.

KCT had to ensure that operational performance was up to the usual high standards and that the large ship was handled quickly and effectively to keep her on schedule. Unsurprisingly, and due in large part to the work of Gulftainer's committed staff, everything went smoothly, and the ship was able to depart on time for the Far East.

Commenting on the occasion, Gulftainer Director and General Manager Peter Richards said, "2008 has been a very successful year for Gulftainer, with both KCT and the Sharjah terminal having already achieved record throughput levels, despite very challenging conditions, including the congestion being experienced at many ports throughout the region. The efficient handling of the 'CMA CGM VELA' during her maiden call is just our latest notable achievement."

"With the number of large container ships on the increase, it is increasingly important that terminals cater to such ships. In order to ensure that we are able to continue providing top-quality, efficient service to ships of all sizes, both KCT and the Sharjah terminal are currently undergoing expansion to cater for more, bigger ships; we are building for the future," Mr Richards added.

KCT is one of the world's leading container transhipment ports. It is strategically located on Sharjah's Indian Ocean coast, outside the sensitive Straits of Hormuz and close to the main east-west shipping routes. Only three hours from the UAE's main centres of population, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, KCT is an ideal transhipment hub port with numerous feeder ship connections to Gulf Ports, Iran, India, Pakistan and East Africa.