Oman’s Minsitry of Transport has officially announced that commercial activities will switch from the Port of Sultan Qaboos to Sohar Industrial Port from midnight on 31 August 2014.
In a notice placed in a UAE national newspaper, it said all commercial containers, RoRo, break bulk cargo and material handing vessels will be transfered; while passenger vehicles, tourist vehicles, boats, military vessels, bitumen vessels and fishing vessels will continue to be received at Sultan Qaboos till further notice.
The Oman government is focusing efforts on improving transport infrastructure and alleviating congestion in Muscat, which is exacerbated by freight traffic moving into and out of Sultan Qaboos Port in the heart of the city.
The site will eventually be turned into the country’s first cruise terminal as part of a huge regeneration of the waterfront.
A fortnight ago, Sohar Port CEO Andre Toet claimed that relocating commercial shipping lines from Muscat will add just 50 additional vehicles per hour to existing road users in Sohar when the move is completed in less than two months. He also said that since many ships are already using the port, increases will be gradual.
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