Gulftainer to act as host sponsor of Port Finance International's inaugural Middle East Conference

Building on the success of PFI events in London, Istanbul, Singapore, Mumbai, and Copenhagen, the event will highlight current trends and challenges in financing port infrastructure development. It will also investigate, analyse and provide guidance on the latest developments, investments and future plans in the strategically positioned Middle East region.

Gulftainer Group Managing Director, Peter Richards declared "Gulftainer is extremely pleased to act as host sponsor of this conference, which will place the spotlight squarely on Middle Eastern ports. Not only will it showcase plans for expansion and development at these ports, but it will also highlight opportunities for growth and investment while providing the perfect opportunity to engage with the key players in the booming port development industry in the Middle East."

During the event, which will provide opportunities to meet potential equity and business partners, senior executives from port authorities, port and terminal operators and representatives from the legal and banking industries, attendees can look forward to a series of topical presentations, with the keynote address set to be delivered by Gulftainer's Group Commercial Manager, Keith Nuttall.

The two day conference will be followed, on December 8th, by a site visit to Gulftainer's Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT), one of the world's leading container transhipment ports. KCT, which was named 'Shipping Port of the Year' at the Annual Supply Chain and Transport Awards (SCATA 2011) in Dubai, is strategically located on Sharjah's Indian Ocean coast, making it an obvious choice for shipping lines with large transhipment volumes, for the wider region, who also require easy access to the UAE hinterland.

Gulftainer Group has 35 years experience operating in the UAE and around the world. In addition to operating three 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 company, Borouge, 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 evaluated. Gulftainer's logistics subsidiary, Momentum Logistics, was established in 2008 to take over the Group's transportation and logistics business and has offices throughout the Middle East.