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General cargo traffic moving through the port of Salalah continues to surge ahead, with particularly strong increases in exports of limestone, gypsum, methanol and cement. Overall the port’s General Cargo Terminal (GCT) handled 5.47 million tonnes in the first six months of 2014, 28% up on the equivalent period in 2013.
By contrast, container traffic, once the dominant business of the Omani port, dipped by 7%, to 1.76 million teu. This is attributed to lower volumes from existing customers, and a delay in new business materializing.
Largely as a result of the disappointing performance of its container division, revenues for the Port of Salalah were down by 3% compared to first half 2013 figures, at RO 28.22 million. Profits were also down, by over 15%, at RO 3.71 million.
On a more positive note the Port of Salalah improved container productivity by 26% in 2013 compared with 2012, and is now ranked 15th world-wide, and third in the Middle East, according to research by the Journal of Commerce. In 2013 the port achieved an average of 91 gross moves per hour, compared with an average of 71 moves an hour the year before. In another piece of good news, Salalah has renewed its long-standing terminal services agreement with Maersk Line, a key user of the port for transshipment activity.
