One of the largest ships handled by any port in the region called at Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT) in the UAE late in the first half of December.

Gulftainer, the management and logistics firm that operates the terminal, said the CMA CGM Vela at 11,000 teu and 347-m-long was the largest it had handled since its inception in 1976.
On hand to welcome the massive vessel and its captain, Wilhelm Cubasch, were Gulftainer’s commercial manager Keith Nuttall and terminal manager Dag Froehmcke.
“As well as being a historic occasion, KCT’s handling of the CMA CGM Vela was an important achievement for Gulftainer, as it shows that we can handle these large container ships, which are steadily increasing in number,” said Nuttal.
“Nearly 200 large container ships of more than 10,000 teu are on order over the next four years, and this has confirmed that KCT will be able to continue to provide the high levels of service that people have come to expect to these new ships as well,” said Nuttall.
A latest-generation vessel, the CMA CGM Vela was built in the Daewoo South Korean yard and is deployed on the Fali service linking Asia and Europe. She has a 15.5 m draft and a maximum speed of 24.6 knots.
“KCT had to ensure that operational performance was up to the usual high standards and that the large ship was handled quickly and effectively to keep her on schedule. Unsurprisingly, and due in large part to the work of Gulftainer’s committed staff, everything went smoothly, and the ship was able to depart on time for the Far East,”  said Nuttal..
Commenting on the occasion, Gulftainer director and general manager Peter Richards said: “2008 has been a very successful year for Gulftainer, with both KCT and the Sharjah terminal having already achieved record throughput levels, despite very challenging conditions, including the congestion being experienced at many ports throughout the region. The efficient handling of the CMA CGM Vela during her maiden call is just our latest notable achievement.
“With the number of large container ships on the increase, it is increasingly important that terminals cater to such ships. In order to ensure that we are able to continue providing top-quality, efficient service to ships of all sizes, both KCT and the Sharjah terminal are currently undergoing expansion to cater for more, bigger ships; we are building for the future.”.
KCT is one of the world’s leading container transshipment ports. It is strategically located on Sharjah’s Indian Ocean coast, outside the sensitive Straits of Hormuz and close to the main east-west shipping routes. Only three hours from the UAE’s main centres of population, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, KCT is an ideal transshipment hub port with numerous feeder ship connections to Gulf ports, Iran, India, Pakistan and East Africa.