Environment

Conservation of marine life is a primary concern to us since we operate in such close proximity to it. The rigorous implementation of our marine conservation policy is evident at our container terminals where turtles can be seen swimming close to huge container ships.

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we have recently installed hybrid Rubber Tyred Gantries (RTGs) in all terminals which eliminate carbon emissions whilst operating on a mains power supply. Moreover, a further advantage is that there is significant reduction in noise pollution as the main engine is switched off while the RTG is supplied with power from the main grid.

Waste water generated at our facilities is recycled within our terminals. All waste is segregated, clearly labelled and properly disposed of. Waste oil, batteries, steel, used toner cartridges, tyres, and any other by-products of our operations, are disposed of through government authorised disposal companies. Spilled oil is cleaned up immediately, equipment not in use is switched off; taps not in use are tuned off and lights and air-conditioning are turned off when not in use.

Diesel/fuel consumption and mileage of vehicles, and running hours of equipment that runs on fuel, is monitored. All terminals are now monitoring the Carbon Dioxide emissions from vehicles in use and where emissions are higher than acceptable levels, there is a strict requirement for repair and preventive maintenance.

Partnering with Emirates Wildlife society – World Wildlife Fund

Gulftainer supported the EWS-WWF in their Marine Turtle Conservation Project for the past years and has been delighted with how informative and interactive the programme has been.

The Marine Turtle Conservation Project seeks to preserve and protect the beautiful Hawksbill turtle. So far, we have completed our aim of tagging a total of 75 turtles over three years. The first ever turtle in April 2010, named Helia, travelled across the Gulf to Saudi Arabia to her foraging/feeding grounds. She had remained there ever since and was still sending us signals a staggering 1125 days later - an amazing feat considering the life-span of a  transmitter lasts on average around six months!

If you come across turtles while on a beach or out in a boat, we have a few top tips on how to avoid disturbing them:

• DO keep your distance if you see any turtles on a beach, and don’t shine any light on them, as this irritates them.
• DON'T leave litter on the beach, as turtles sometimes mistake trash for food (jellyfish).
• DON'T drive on sandy beaches, which could crush turtle eggs and scare turtles away.
• DO make sure you are extra vigilant when riding jet skis or boats during these months, as turtles swim in shallow waters, making them vulnerable to being hit.

As Corporate Members, our ongoing commitment and support is helping EWS-WWF to ensure a sustainable future for the UAE, addressing biodiversity conservation needs, environmental education gaps, and contributing to lowering the ecological footprint.

Gulftainer head office has gone into partnership with the Sharjah based Bee'ah

Gulftainer’s recent efforts to increase its recycling efficiency, have been rewarded as senior management welcomed a delegation from Bee’ah, who presented a certificate to recognise the Company’s ongoing commitment to improving the environment.

Bee’ah is the Middle East’s largest and award winning waste management company, also based in Sharjah, and their team, Saif Abdulla Al Sharif, Director of the Recycle Business & Collection, Muhammad Musa and Hasim Kathiri, met with Gulftainer’s Managing Director, Peter Richards, Director of Business Services, Ramesh Shivakumaran and Group QHSE Manager, Magimairaj Bose, to present the award and discuss further initiatives.

Some of the initiatives now in place within the Gulftainer workplace include: recycling paper, plastic, e-wastes in the offices and oils, batteries and tyres in the engineering departments to name just a few. The company no longer disposes of any of its wastes into landfill.

Peter Richards, Gulftainer managing director said: “We are delighted to accept this certificate from Bee’ah and to be able to play our part in making the Emirate of Sharjah a greener environment. As a company we believe it is our responsibility to lead by example and to increase awareness of the impact of using the 3 R’s (reduce, re-use, recycle) in the work place and beyond.  We hope that these initiatives will highlight just how easy it is to make a difference.”