THE Oman government is working on a plan to build a large modern automated container terminal at Sohar Port, which will have a capacity to handle five million TEU per annum, reports the Times of Oman.
Oman's Sohar port plans 5 million TEU container terminal THE Oman government is working on a plan to build a large modern automated container terminal at Sohar Port, which will have a capacity to handle five million TEU per annum, reports the Times of Oman. Infrastructure will be developed by the government, while the superstructure will be built by the container terminal operator, said Oman International Container Terminal (OITC) director Mahdi Al Lawatia. He was speaking on the sidelines of the recent Port Development Middle East Conference in Muscat. Mr Al Lawatia also said today's container handling capacity of Sohar was two million TEU and the port's actual annual container handling is close to the capacity. The expansion will take the total container handling capacity to seven million TEU per year, once it is ready. Apart from organic growth, the relocation of all commercial traffic from Muscat a couple of years ago is a driver for recent peaks in cargo volumes, especially in containers. Mr Al Lawatia said that the construction of new terminal may take two-and-a-half years, after finalising the plan and start work on the project. Sohar Port has several advantages due to its strategic location and its access to thickly populated countries like India and Pakistan. Sohar Port industrial area has attracted investment to the tune of US$25 billion so far, he noted. The whole industrial area is divided into several clusters, including logistics, metal/mineral, petrochemical and utilities. In fact, a new sugar refinery and a food grain handling facility (of Oman Flour Mills) will come up close to Terminal B or agro-bulk terminal and therefore, it will be exclusively used by these two units.