Ports in Oman
Oman and its seashores have a natural inheritance of mineral and gas deposits. This connects with its geographical location across the Gulf of Oman. It uses the Arabian sea for major container and oil tanker traffic for the major ports in Oman. With such features, shipping cargo amounts to 7 369 million current USD trade in Oman. However, 53% of the stake in this goes to the oil cargo of different nature. The container and finished goods stand second in the line with a share of 30%. This is visible in the 51 752 million USD business of merchandise trading in the region every year. Hence, the industrial setup of Oman depends heavily on a fair cargo exchange without disturbances.
To make sure this sector thrives, 5400-6200 vessels touch Oman’s shores every year. This includes 80% traffic of large seagoing ships with international cargo freight. The majority of it occurs with their neighbouring UAE, giving a trade index of 0.476. In this article, we review the 5 major ports in Oman and their trading features. We also focus on the geographical features, identification, and cargo handling aspects. It includes the financial and networking aspects of the trading too.
Oman Ports
Port of Salalah
The port of Salalah has a total of 6 large-size berths for container and oil cargo operations. Its establishment is from the year 1998 with simultaneous handling of goods. At present, the facility operates under the authority of the Salalah Port Services. A large number of major oil groups along with government shares have involvement in the project. Hence, the terminal sees 3.5 to 3.8 million TEU on an average for the last decade. Oman has a port liner shipping index that exceeds the value of 55. This places it as the fastest container handling terminal across the whole world. The terminal also stands 6th in the list of most efficient port facilities all over the globe.
Oman Ports
Port of Sultan Qaboos
The port of Sultan Qaboos is presently under its moving initiative for conversion to a cruise facility. However, the port has a rich history of cargo handling, as the biggest in the region of Muscat. In the peak, the port and its operation were through 14 berths for seagoing traffic. During the early 2000s, the port shows a capacity of 820,000 MT of cargo with 250,000 TEU. Its longest multipurpose berths vary up to a size of 458 meters. Each of these berths shows a working coefficient of 0.75 during operational days too. At present, the port’s handling activities are null due to pollution and traffic reasons. Hence, the development of the corridor will also provide a green range for cruise shipping operations.
Oman Ports
Port of Duqm
The port of Duqm is a new yet highly profitable port for the region of Oman. Its establishment is only as old as 2013, with drydocking and cargo handling facilities. The port’s figures in 2019 show a revenue generation of 1 billion USD. However, its maximum figures are in the range of 1.5 billion USD. Duqm is also one of the major ports in Oman operating in the special economic zone. The handling and its operations also come under the regulation of the zone authority for trade promotion. However, the ownership rights of the facility belong to the government of Oman. In addition to the commercial operation, the port of Duqm is a defence base. It has special collaborations with the UK and Indian governments to facilitate their carriers.
Oman Ports
Port of Sohar
The port of Sohar qualifies as the second biggest amongst the major ports in Oman for cargo volume. Every year, the facility handles over 60 million MT of cargo of different nature. The terminal exists since the year 2002 with relatively modern expansions roots. Moreover, it is a joint venture of the Oman authority along with the port of Rotterdam. It falls under the free zone area, the globally attractive lobby for modern shipping investors. More than 3000 ships across all sizes undergo handling operations at Sohar every year. The STS facilities also include the conduction of bunkering facilities for the seagoing vessels.
Oman Ports
Port of Qalhat
The port of Qalhat is Oman’s major LNG handling facility for cargo operations. It operates with 2 major LNG loading and discharging berths of the highest international safety standards. The permissible length for gas carriers to berth alongside goes up to 315 meters. Meanwhile, the allowable draft for a vessel of this size is up to 12.5 meters. The port facility operates with a 76% majority rights by the state of Oman. Due to its LNG richness, the port connects with over 120 major countries for direct shipping relations. The facility is spread over an area of 70 hectares that includes the handling facilities for dangerous cargo.