Salalah Port Opens New Deep-water Terminal
The Port of Salalah, a major Arab Gulf regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, has inaugurated a new deep-water General Cargo and Liquid Bulk Terminal, adding 20 million tons of dry cargo and six million tons of liquid bulk cargo annual handling capacity. The 1266 meter quay offers two 320 meter-long General Cargo berths, two 300 meter-long liquid bulk berths and a depth of 18 meters.
“The new facility is able to handle a wide range of vessels, ranging from naval ships, to vessels handling limestone, cement, livestock, project cargo and other dry bulk commodities as Salalah continues to grow as a key center of trade and logistics for the region” said Port of Salalah CEO David Gledhill.
The new terminal was built by the Government of Oman at a cost of 55 million OMR (USD $143 million). The Project includes support structures such as power Substations, a fire pump house, a Prayer Hall, a canteen, and administrative offices. Liquid bulk cargoes are an increasingly important commodity for Omani industry and trade; “A dedicated pipe corridor links the new liquid bulk terminal directly with one of our customers operating within the port, and in the future, an extension will connect with the Salalah Free Zone where new customers are setting up their plants,” said Port of Salalah Deputy CEO Ahmed Akaak.
The Port of Salalah is operated by APM Terminals as part of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network, and in which APM Terminals holds a 30% share, handling 3.03 million TEUs in 2014, along with 10.3 million tons of bulk cargo. Salalah was tied for 5th place in the JOC Group Productivity Study for 2014 in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, with 96 crane moves per hour with a vessel alongside.