APL Ningbo at Sharjah Container Terminal

Like her sister ship 'APL Chiwan' which also called at the Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) recently, with a length of 299 meters and capable of carrying around 4,700 TEU, this substantial ship exemplifies the increased scale of business now handled by Gulftainer at SCT - reflecting the ever growing economic activity in Sharjah in particular and the UAE in general.

"Once again one of the largest vessels, in both size and volume of containers, handled at SCT, worked very smoothly testament to the skill and professionalism of terminal staff, Sharjah Port Authority and ship's crew," said Gulftainer General Manager Peter Richards.

"With the growing realization by UAE businesses that the changing logistics scene in the UAE means that they have to pick and choose their container gateways carefully to get the best mix of convenience and price - we expect more sizeable ships and certainly greater volumes to be a regular feature in Sharjah in the months to come."

APL has two main services between Asia and the Gulf - West Asia Express (WAX) and China Middle East Express (CMX). Ships operating on these weekly services cover a wide range of ports in East and South East Asia primarily China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong - as well as intermediate ports such as Colombo and Karachi.

Direct services into Sharjah (SCT) were initiated over two years ago by the CMX operation and volumes handled have been rising dramatically ever since.