A good catch

Piscators Eoin O' Mahoney and Steve Moss from SCT and KCT respectively, plunged hook, line and sinker into the inaugural 'Fujairah Classic' game Fishing Event in October 2009, off the East Coast.

This three day event was on a large scale with over a hundred competitors seeking to haul in a cash prize and an invitation to the International Game Fishing Association offshore world championships to be held in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in May 2010.

Perched on their small craft, out at sea, Eoin and Steve managed a very creditable catch of Dorado as illustrated in the attached photograph and look set to cast their eyes over the follow up tournament to be held later in 2010. Clearly, as usual, GTL employees are never out of
pla(i)ce.

Gulftainer, together with Group logistics company Momentum, was once again present at the 7th Gulf Maritime Exhibition, which was held from December 14 to December 16, 2009, at Sharjah Expo Centre in the heart of Sharjah - complete with a full range of GTL and Momentum staff in attendance.

The three-day exhibition, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, was organised by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and is now a well established event in the region. Peter Richards, Gulftainer Director and General Manager said: "As a Sharjah business, we are always keen to support such Sharjah based exhibitions particularly in this very challenging year.

GTL Team at Sharjah Expo Centre

However, as far as Gulftainer is concerned this was another good opportunity to highlight the progress the group has made - even in these difficult times - with expansion at our terminals and the continuing development of our logistics company 'Momentum',throughout 2009".

Gulftainer also decided to exhibit because the Gulf Maritime Exhibition is one of the most credible and effective regional maritime trade platforms capable of meeting the complete sourcing requirements of the commercial, government, leisure, and military maritime industry in the Middle East .

Cargo working at Moroni

The end of 2009 marks the end of Gulftainer's third year managing and operating the Port of Moroni in the Comoros Islands (located between East Africa and Madagascar for the uninitiated).With 2008 having been a generally successful year showing increased throughputs, new equipment and facility improvements, there was some concern about how the global downturn would affect this small Island group.

In fact volumes actually increased in 2009 with container imports (up 11%), cement (up 26%) and rice (up 114%) all showing healthy improvements - reflecting the opportunities taken by the developing nation to benefit from lower transport and commodity costs.

However tourist numbers and inward investment have not been so healthy - for obvious reasons - and 2010 will be a challenging year, without doubt.

Gulftainer continues to have a team based in Moroni working to improve the port and cargo handling - with clear results in 2009 as new regular container vessel services have resumed after many years, boosting links with other regions.

A further barge (the third) to assist in anchorage cargo work and yard resurfacing are further examples of Gulftainer's commitment to steady improvements in the port.

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