Sharjah-based Gulftainer is
certainly one of the leading ports management and third-party logistics
provider in the United Arab Emirates. One of its renowned terminals in the
country is the Khorfakkan Container Terminal, now simply referred to as KCT. It
is also the only fully fledged operational container terminal in the area.
For KCT’s container terminal
operations, Gulftainer has placed an order of four Super Post-Panamax ships to
shore gantry cranes and twelve rubber-tyred gantry cranes. The contract
(supported by ZPMC’s export credit arrangement) was signed by the Senior Vice
President of ZPMC and the Group Director of Business Services of Gulftainer, Ramesh
Shivakumaran at ZPMC’s head office in Shanghai.
A high-level delegation from
ZPMC visited Gulftainer’s facilities at KCT in March 2013. It was headed by the
company’s president, Dr. Liu Jianzhong and they were impressed with the volumes
and high productivity accomplished by the terminal.
According to Ramesh
Shivakumaran’s review, KCT is among the fastest container terminals in the
world when it comes to productivity. In 2012, the terminal’s volume also
increased by more than 25 percent.
He also added that ZPMC cranes
increase the speed and efficiency of the operations for vessels calling at the
terminal. In 2014, the ZPMC’s gantry cranes are delivered.
ZPMC will be enthusiastic to
become the preferred choice for all port crane requirements for Gulftainer’s
facilities in the UAE and other foreign countries in the future. The company is
also delighted to become a part of Gulftainer’s expansion in Khorfakkan Port.
Gulftainer indeed has highly
dedicated professionals and Ramesh
Shivakumaran proves to be one of them. He is a chartered accountant with a
graduate degree in commerce from India. He is also a certified public
accountant from the United States.
Moreover, he is a dynamic
associate member of different associations such as the Information Systems,
Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and Certified Fraud Examiners. He holds a
certification from the logistics management of North West Kent College in the
United Kingdom.
Ramesh has been with
Gulftainer since April 1993 and has held different positions in the accounting
and financial department of the company. He is a director and board member in
various affiliate companies of the group. He has been previously employed in
Ernst & Young and Price Waterhouse for more than four years in each company
respectively.
It’s not surprising that
Ramesh Shivakumaran has extensive experience in management. He is actively
involved in business planning, business strategy, corporate governance,
financial reporting, internal control compliance, managing and directing all
key aspects of financial affairs, planning, risk management, and treasury
management.
He’s also committed in the
organizational development associated with information systems, IT
infrastructure, human resources, administration, compensation management, and
integrated quality management system for the national and international
operations of Gulftainer.
For those who wonder the
company’s major role, it is to administer and operate the container terminals
in Port Khalid and Khorfakkan on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority. The
following are the major shipping lines calling at these ports:
United Arab Shipping Company
American President Lines (APL)
China Shipping
CMA CGM Group
CSAV
Ethiopian Shipping Line
Hanjin
Hapag-Lloyd
Maersk Line
MAG Container Lines (MCL)
Mediterranean Shipping Company
(MSC)
Sea Consortium