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Gulftainer scores first US terminal in Florida

Gulftainer scores first US terminal in Florida
Seven years after DP World pulled out of the US segment of a deal to acquire the assets of P&O Maritime in 2007, in the face of strong opposition from Congress, a UAE company has finally struck a deal in Florida, likely paving the way for further Arab investment in US maritime infrastructure.

On Monday Sharjah-based Gulftainer this week announced that it had won a 35-year concession to set up container and general cargo operations for the first time at Port Canaveral in Florida.

A Gulftainer official speaking at TOC Europe taking place at the ExCel in London on Tuesday said the company had encountered only “willingness” on the part of US officials for Gulftainer to launch US operations through its $100m investment in the port.

“We always expected there would be worries from all parties and that from the beginning as a company, we have to be sensible towards the fact that this has been at the back of everybody’s mind,” he said.

“We have been looking at the US for quite a number of years but I think the Americans have also gotten past that fear, and we might have taken something out of that. It’s also a matter of stakeholder management and reassuring everybody that you are there for the right reasons.”

“The terminal, set to commence operations in the last quarter of 2014, positions Port Canaveral as the most economical and convenient ocean gateway for containerized cargo in central Florida,” said a press release issued by the port.

Gulftainer’s throughput doubled to 7m teu in 2013 with the acquisition of two new terminals in Saudi Arabia, while it also runs facilities in Brazil, Iraq and Lebanon. Ceo Peter Richards said in 2013 that the company had set itself a target of 35 terminals with a total capacity of 18m teu by 2020.

“By bringing Gulftainer’s 37 years of experience, expertise and global relationships to Port Canaveral, we aim to create a new efficient gateway for goods entering and leaving Florida,” said Badr Jafar, chairman of Gulftainer’s executive board. “Our goal is to work with the Canaveral Port Authority to improve the local economy by investing in infrastructure, processes and people.”