MUSCAT: Construction work for building a new quay wall for the general and liquid cargo berth at the Salalah port will start on Monday.
Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Tariq bin Shabib Al Said will preside over the opening ceremony of the construction of the quay wall at the general and liquid cargo berth.
The ceremony will be attended by ministers, members of the State Council and MajlisA’Shura, undersecretaries and some government and private sectors’ officials.
Said bin Hamdoun Al Harthy, undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Ports and Maritime Affairs, said the construction of the quay wall at the general cargo station at the port of Salalah is one of the important projects to be implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which is expected to attract ships.
He said Oman’s ports are of great importance in the plans and programmes of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which seeks to develop ports performance in the Sultanate, so that they can play an active economic role in trade with other world ports, and contribute to the revitalisation of industry, tourism and development of the governorate.
Al Harthy further added that the opening of a berth in the general and the liquid cargo area comes at a time when the government is looking to expand business operations in this important port.
He explained that the project aims to build a 1,266 metre-long quay wall, which will have a width of 83 metres and a depth of 18 metres and can handle various ships, including commercial and tourist vessels and liquid materials ships. He added that the berth will also have all the facilities that transport merchandise from the free zone to the port of Salalah.
Al Harthy also confirmed that the additional quay, the construction for which began on May 19, 2012, is of great importance as it serves all existing and future plans for the Salalah free zone, in addition to the liquid material industries located in the zone, and import and export trade conducted through the general cargo station in the port.
He added that the quay wall and the berth are an economic addition aimed at revitalising manufacturing industries, the development of services and the transport sector,will provide new job opportunities and thus encourage different economic sectors to seize the available investment opportunities.
Al Harthy also explained that an important stage of the economic project in the Governorate of Dhofar fell within the future vision of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for the Port of Salalah, which envisions the future with an ambitious plan for the next two decades.
“We hope through this future vision to establish a train station for general cargo and container, several logistics facilities, multi-modal transports, warehouses and distribution centres, as well as housing and entertainment centres, a cruise station, specialised wharves for government purposes, a marina for boats and tourist yachts,” noted Al Harthy.
The vision would also include a multiple fluid products terminal, fuel depot, and residential areas, along with stores of national food reserves, and a centre for distribution of agricultural products.
