UAE: Port Canaveral and the ports of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have entered into what officials called a “historic partnership” as “sister ports.”
Canaveral Port Authority Chairman Jerry Allender said he believes the trip he and two other port representatives took to the United Arab Emirates to sign the agreement will net new cargo business for Brevard County’s seaport. Allender was joined at the signing of the sister ports agreement between Port Canaveral and the Sharjah Port Authority by Canaveral Port Authority Commissioner Wayne Justice and Shannon Feeley, Port Canaveral assistant director of cargo business.
Their trip also was designed to make contacts with potential shipping partners in the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates for each of the last six years has been the United States’ largest trading partner in the Middle East, with more than $24 billion in bilateral trade in 2014.
Port Canaveral is hoping to gain a greater share of that business, in part through its connections with the cargo shipping company Gulftainer. That company is based in Sharjah, and established the North American headquarters of its GT USA unit at Port Canaveral, where it operates the Canaveral Cargo Terminal, which opened in June.
In a statement released by Gulftainer, Sheikh Khaled Bin Abdullah Al Qasimi of the Department of Seaports & Customs for the Government of Sharjah, said: “We are delighted to be part of such an important moment in the history of the UAE-USA trade relationship. The ‘sister ports’ agreement strengthens our ties with an already strong partner of the UAE, and reflects our commitment to establishing strong international relationships to boost the country’s economic development.”
Peter Richards, managing director of Gulftainer, said: “As the operator of the container terminal at Port Canaveral, as well as three main ports in Sharjah on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority, we have welcomed this agreement with great excitement. This will positively impact our operations, and we will continue to strive to strengthen the bond that exists with a view to contribute even further to the economy of both port areas.”
