Salalah Port in Oman Sees Volume Growth in 2020
OMAN’s largest port, the Port of Salalah handled a total of 2.19 million TEU in the first half of the year, 13 per cent up on the throughput of 1.94 million TEU in the same period last year.
As reported by Oman News Agency, Revenues from the Container Terminal (CT) also grew by 3 per cent compared to the same period last year. The General Cargo Terminal (GCT) handled 7,308,000 tonnes of cargo,
Abdulrahman bin Salim Al Hatmi, ASYAD Group CEO, stated that these positive results reflect the global pivotal role of the Port of Salalah as a transshipment hub and have mitigated the negative impact of Covid-19 on local markets and ensured the availability of goods.
He added that “the port management strives to maintain the same level of economic performance, as well as trade and navigation activities through expanding to new markets and enhancing connectivity with other regional and international markets.”
The port of Salalah secured three additional shipping line calls during Q2, 2020. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) added a call to Salalah on its premium Himalaya Express, which provides additional direct connectivity to North Europe, while the JJS service of Global Feeder Shipping has enhanced connectivity to ports in the Red Sea like Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Niche operator Global Resources and Shipping has also commenced a regular service into Yemen with plans to expand to other ports where traditional shipping lines cannot serve.
Mark Hardiman, CEO of Port of Salalah commented: “The new situation due to Covid-19 provides opportunities to enhance Salalah’s overall value proposition to both the shipping lines and supply chain providers. We are working closely with our partners to not only provide new services via Salalah but also develop innovative solutions which adds to the flexibility of the port and resilience of the supply chain during this time of global changes.”
The Port of Salalah is operated by APM Terminals which is part of the A.P Moller Group, the owners of MAERSK, as part of the APM Terminals global terminal network.