In a bid to exploit the recent closure of Port Sultan Qaboos, Muscat, Oman International Container Terminal (OICT), operated by Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), is aiming to quadruple its capacity to six million TEU, according to the Journal of Commerce.
The news comes after Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communication had floated a tender to find a consultant to execute Salalah’s 2030 maritime vision more effectively.
Eric Ip, Managing Director of Hutchison Port Holdings, said: “We are committed to Sohar Port and to the Sultanate of Oman. We will continue the development of facilities at the port to capture growing trade activities in the Middle East and the potential to serve the latest class of 20,000 TEU mega-ships. We are building for the future.
Andre Toet, CEO of OICT, said: “The opening of a new and expanded container terminal, a historic 10,000-TEU vessel call, transfer of all commercial shipping from Muscat, alignment of supply chains and an international marketing campaign have built international awareness of Sohar and are driving new investments.”
HPH is planning to invest more than $300 million into the container terminal by 2019, with investments so far totalling $21 billion in Sohar Port collectively.
