Gulftainer, the privately owned terminal operating and logistics company, has been awarded the RoSPA Award 2014 for its commitment to occupational health and safety standards.

On behalf of the Gulftainer Group, Ramesh Shivakumaran, Group Director of Business Services, accepted the Silver award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Ramesh Shivakumaran – Group Director of Business Services, and Magimairaj Bose, Group QHSE Manager of Gulftainer with the RoSPA Award

Accepting the award, he said: “The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Award highlights our focus on ensuring world-class standards across all our operations to promote the well-being of our employees, partners and stakeholders. As a member of the British Safety Council, our commitment to quality, health, safety, environment and security is vital to our consolidating our reputation and developing our customer base.”

Gulftainer‘s UAE Terminals are fully compliant with the requirements of ISO 9001: 2008 – Quality Management Systems, ISO 14001:2004 – Environmental Management Systems and OHSAS 18001:2007 – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.

The company has established and implemented a QHSE Policy, which reiterates its commitment to the health and safety of its employees and the surrounding community; protection of the environment; the quality of its products and services; and compliance with client and regulatory requirements.

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “The RoSPA Awards encourage the raising of occupational health and safety standards across the board. Organisations, such as Gulftainer, that gain recognition for their health and safety management systems, contribute to a collective raising of the bar to which other organisations aspire and we offer them our congratulations.”

As the UK’s family safety charity, RoSPA’s mission is to save lives and reduce injuries covering all ages and stages of life. In support of this mission, the RoSPA Awards, which date back 58 years, recognise commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention at work. Judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Gulftainer’s current portfolio covers UAE operations in Khorfakkan Port and Port Khalid in its home base of Sharjah, as well as activities at Umm Qasr in Iraq, Recife in Brazil, Tripoli Port in Lebanon and also in Saudi Arabia, where it manages container terminals in Jeddah and Jubail ports. The company has signed a 35-year concession with the Canaveral Port Authority in Florida marking Gulftainer’s first venture in the United States.

Sharjah-based international ports management company Gulftainer played host –and sponsor– to the inaugural Port Finance International Middle East Conference, which was held from 6 to 7 December 2011 at the headquarters of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

The opening keynote speech for the conference was delivered by HE Abdullah Al Saleh,Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade for the UAE, and a variety of presentations were delivered on the finance, investment, and port and logistics environments in the region and beyond, including one by Gulftainer Group Commercial Manager, Keith Nuttall.

Building on the success of PFI events around the world (recently held in London, Istanbul, Singapore, Mumbai, and Copenhagen) the inaugural Port Finance International Middle East Conference highlighted current trends and challenges in financing port infrastructure development, and investigated, analysed and provided guidance on the latest developments, investments and future plans in the strategically positioned Middle East region.

Over two days this conference brought together key industry experts from the Port and Terminal industry and from the Banking and Legal world to provide delegates with an in-depth understanding of innovative financing solutions and practical advice. It also provided an excellent opportunity to meet potential equity and business partners, as well as senior executives from port authorities, port and terminal operators and the legal and banking industries to discuss finance options and development requirements.

Speaking of the importance of the event, Gulftainer Group Managing Director, Peter Richards, said, "The ports, terminals and shipping industries are undergoing major changes as they seek to move forward in a straitened financial climate and with revenues under pressure and costs rising. This event presented highly qualified speakers showcasing the latest shipping, port and investment developments, at a time when the world's economies are facing unparalleled challenges. As the inaugural Port Finance International Middle East Conference, the event was a resounding success, and the participants look forward eagerly to the next event in the region".

Helping participants in the conference to get a clearer picture of rapidly changing events were, amongst others, Gulftainer, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Merrill Lynch, IFC, RSGT, Port of Salalah, Qatar Ports, Clarksons, and Abu Dhabi Terminals.

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.