Salalah Port grows volumes and productivity in H1

Set against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the company handled its highest quarterly container volume in the port’s 14 year history during the second quarter of 2012, recording a throughput of 920K teu. For the first half of 2012, container cargo volumes grew by 13% and non-container volumes by 4% against previous year. Moreover, a number of companies have recently signed up for investment in Salalah Port and Free Zone that will see massive increases in cargo growth and job creation.\\r\\n\\r\\nThe use of Salalah as a distribution location for the growing markets of East Africa, India, and the Middle East has begun to accelerate with the agreements signed this year-to-date in the Port and Free Zone. Shipping line interest in the port is growing and Salalah is expecting to attract a new customer that will add significant volumes to the port.\\r\\n\\r\\nTo facilitate this growth, Salalah and the Government of Oman are expanding the general cargo terminal and expect to double the amount of non-container cargo through the port by the end of 2014. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe financial impact of the strong growth in volumes for H1 of 2012 is that total revenue grew by 9% to RO 27.9m (US$72.5m), compared to RO 25.5m (US$66.3m) for the same half-year period last year, while the company\\\’s net profits have jumped to RO 3.24m (US$8.4m), compared to RO 865,000 (US$2.2m) in H1 2011.\\r\\n\\r\\nPeter Ford, Salalah’s CEO said, “The positive financial results indicate that our customers see great value in Salalah as a hub. The new feeders introduced in April and July of this year connecting Salalah with Jebel Ali, Muscat and now with Mumbai, are being well received by customers. With the new general cargo terminal expansion and diversification into liquid bulk we expect to grow the diversity of customers utilising the Port of Salalah for its choice location and incentives.” \\r\\n\\r\\n