The Port of Sohar stepped up its capacity by 14% (18 million tons) during the second quarter of this year, compared to the corresponding period last year, a media report said.

The volume of liquid commodities rose by 13% to 4.5 million metric tons, while dry goods volume went up by 12% to 10.5 million metric tons, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

The port posted a hefty 168% increase in handling vessel-mounted mobile goods, but it dealt with 190,000 standard container units (ITUs) by the end of the second quarter this year, 2.3% less than the corresponding rate in 2020. As many as 804 vessels dropped anchor at Sohar Port, 18% more than the number of vessels berthed there during the second quarter last year.

The Free Zone at Sohar saw a rise in land occupancy (First Phase) during the second quarter, up by 10%, while it registered 503,000 tons of exports. Production capacity touched 545,000 tons in the free zone where 45 countries have investments.

Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of Sohar Port, said that, despite positive indicators pointing to the recovery of global economy, market fluctuations persist due to the prevalence of Covid-19. Current data shows that the incessant efforts of the Port’s management yielded fruit. The management improved its plans and task visualizations, and this enhanced the port’s flexibility and ability to adapt to the reigning conditions.

Forecasts point to the fact that Sohar Port is making progress in the right direction, as it overtook the volume of shipments delivered in 2020, he added.

Geilenkirchen said that Sohar Port and Free Zone attracted major global industrial firms. “Investments there crossed the $27 billion mark, and, accordingly, bolstered the Gross Domestic Product of the Sultanate in a big way,” Geilenkirchen added.

Omar Mahmood Al Mahrazi, CEO of Sohar Free Zone and Deputy CEO of Sohar Port, said that total investments at Sohar Free Zone touched $799 million and that the number of workers there stood at 2,866.

Sohar Free Zone has an area of 4,500 hectares, said Al Mahrazi, affirming that steps are underway to implement the second phase of the zone’s development—an area of 1,203 hectares.