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Sohar Port and Freezone has announced record breaking full-year throughput figures for 2015. Total cargo volumes in 2015 were up by 12% compared to 2014, at well over 50 million tons, while, following the first full year of additional traffic from Port Sultan Qaboos, container traffic was up by an impressive 62% compared with 2014. Breakbulk volumes jumped by 46% over 2014, hitting more than 1.9 million tons, while ro-ro traffic achieved the biggest leap of all and was up by over 90%, with more than 230,000 vehicles handled in 2015.
The figures were announced at the annual Sohar business reception, which was held in Muscat last week. His Excellency Sultan Al Habsi, chairman of Sohar Port and Freezone, as well as the Sohar Port and Freezone CEOs, Andre Toet and Jamal Aziz, were in attendance.
Andre Toet said during the event: “An average cargo throughput of close to a million tons a week in 2015 is testament to the success of our operations at Sohar. Our rapid growth further strengthens our position as the new gateway to the Gulf region and our continued development as a very significant regional logistics hub.”
The port has recently added a number of new shipping lines to its network, including Hanjin, Evergreen and Simatech, providing more direct links to the Far East. This in turn will reduce supply chain costs for local companies, the port contends.
Jamal Aziz added: “As the Port grows so does our Freezone and we are seeing more and more companies coming in to leverage our excellent logistics infrastructure. They are attracted not just by the proximity of a world-class port, but also new and uncongested highways to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a new cargo airport, and this year work will start on our first rail connection from Sohar to the UAE border at Buraimi.”
