New Line Calling Khorfakkan
Confounding the somewhat gloomy predictions in some parts of the world, the economies of this region and the UAE in particular continue to go from strength to strength.
The progress is of course driven by the far sighted development policies of the emirates and neighbouring countries, with trade in particular flourishing to and from countries in the Far East.
Shipping lines are continuing to expand their services to cater for this growth in (particularly) containerized movements, to ensure that their customers receive the comprehensive and regular coverage that they have come to expect.
The new ‘FMS’ service between the Far East and Gulftainer’s Khorfakkan terminal started operation at the end of 2007 and is already expanding with additional ships.
The Korean Lines involved in the service, Hanjin, Heung-A, Sinokor, C+ Line, STX Panocean and KMTC have contributed a total of five ships for a weekly service - and the 28th of January saw the arrival of the latest Khorfakkan caller, STX Panocean’s 34,000 DWT / 2,500 TEU ‘HANSA LIBERTY’.
Gulftainer Director & General Manager Peter Richards commented "we always enjoy seeing new services and new ships calling at Khorfakkan, but it is particularly pleasing for us to see the start of new relationships with companies - of which there are several on this service - at a time when they are establishing and starting to build up their presence in this area. We are delighted that they - like increasing numbers of other lines and their customers - can see the benefits of calling Khorfakkan, allowing them not only fast transshipment to the wider region, but also to use the terminal as a rapid cost effective gateway into the heart of the UAE’s commercial districts”.
The above photograph shows Terminal Manager Dag Froehmcke making a presentation to Captain Andrey Shtarkov with Chief Engineer Bozidar Petrovich in attendance.