Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately owned independent port operator based in the UAE, is planning  to construct the Saja’a Permanent Access Road.

The company’s Dh11 million ($3 million) investment in the road extension aligns with its objective to play a key role in driving Sharjah’s economy, Gulftainer said in a statement.

The highway will extend over two kilometres to link the Saja’a Industrial Investment Park (SIIP), Gulftainer’s first-ever leasehold initiative, via the Emirates Road (E611), to the three major seaports in Sharjah - Port Khalid, Hamriyah Port and Khorfakkan Port.

Spanning an area of 750,000 sq m, SIIP is set to become a fully bonded logistics facility with goods imported under bond exempt from duty or VAT until released to the local market. Moreover, the mixed-use development will also offer convenient access to premier air and sea hubs as well as connectivity within the UAE and beyond.

Speaking on the importance of the project, Peter Richards, Group CEO of Gulftainer, said: “We are delighted to announce the start of construction of the crucial road extension that, once completed, will significantly improve transport links between the Saja’a Industrial Investment Part and the three seaports of Sharjah. Gulftainer has been part of the emirate’s growth story for over four decades. Our investment testifies to our commitment to fuelling Sharjah’s economy and enhancing the emirate’s global competitiveness ranking.”

SIIP is being designed with the scalability and flexibility to accommodate warehouse space of varied size, modern light industrial units, offices, employee accommodation and multiple other options. The industrial park aims to address the growing demand for logistics facilities in the UAE in the run-up to mega-events such as Expo 2020.

Established in the emirate of Sharjah in 1976, the rapidly expanding ports and logistics company has built up a strong presence in various parts of the world. In 2017 and 2016, The Seatrade Maritime Awards named Gulftainer the Terminal Operator of the Year in the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa region. Gulftainer won the ‘Technology Implementation of the Year’ category in the Logistics Middle East Awards 2017. It also won the Logistics Middle East CSR Initiative of the Year award in 2018.

In the UAE, the company operates two main ports on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority – Sharjah Container Terminal (SCT) and Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT). Its flagship terminal, KCT, was recognised by the Journal of Commerce as the fastest terminal in the MENA region and the third-fastest in the world.

Outside the UAE, the Gulftainer Group operates and manages ports and logistics businesses in several countries including Iraq (Iraq Container Terminal, Iraq Project Terminal and Umm Qasr Logistics Centre), Pakistan (GTL-MTI), Brazil (Recife Port), Lebanon (Tripoli Container Terminal) and Turkey (Momentum Logistics). In Saudi Arabia, Gulftainer acquired a 51 per cent stake in Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company (GSCCO) in June 2013, and now operates the Northern Container Terminal in Jeddah, Jubail Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port. The company’s latest facility, Canaveral Cargo Terminal in Florida, USA, opened in June 2015 following the signing of a 35-year agreement that made Gulftainer the first port management company from the Middle East to operate in the United States.

Currently handling an annual throughput of 5.2 million TEUs, Gulftainer aims to expand its global portfolio in the next 10 years to triple business volume worldwide to more than 10,000 vessel calls and triple container handling to 15 million TEUs.