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Despite challenging market conditions resulting from the pandemic and fluctuating oil prices, Sohar Port and Freezone achieved an increase in cargo volumes and overall performance in 2020, the company has recently announced. The Omani port recorded a 1% increase in the number of containers handled at the port, 802,000 TEU compared with 796,000 TEU in 2019; while breakbulk cargo volumes increased by 18.2%, to 1.3 million tonnes; liquid bulk by 5.9% to 16 million tonnes; and dry bulk by 1.5% to 37.1 million tonnes.
In addition, the port also doubled its Ship-to-Ship (STS) cargo operations compared with 2019, taking advantage of its strategic location and reputation for quick turnaround times. Overall, the port handled 65.4 million tonnes of cargo, up almost 5% compared with the 2019 throughput of 62.5 million tonnes. The only sector to experience a significant decline was ro-ro traffic.
Complementing the growth of the port, Sohar Freezone also reported significant developments, generating a 3.8% increase in total exports and 1.1% increase in total throughput. Omar Mahmood Al Mahrizi, CEO of Sohar Freezone, said, “We continue to attract foreign direct investments and support the continuity and growth of existing businesses by implementing efficient business procedures, digitalising our processes and improving the level of services provided.”
