Salalah Port is one of the best ports in the region to receive goods and huge container ships. Last year, the container terminal handled 3.3 million containers whereas the port terminal handled 7.9 million tonnes of goods.

Salalah Port enjoys a strategic location near the global shipping lines connecting East and West, which makes it one of the best ports in the world for re-consigning cargo as it shortens time and distance, besides providing facilities to accommodate container ships including 2nd and 3rd generation ships.

The port is currently linked through direct lines with 54 ports around the world, in addition to ships engaged in short trips and re-shipping of container goods to markets in East Africa, India and the GCC countries.

The direct line between the port of Salalah and New York takes 14 days, Salalah and Shanghai 14 days, Salalah and Mombasa of Kenya 7 days, Salalah and Singapore 6 days, Salalah and Jeddah 4 days, Salalah and Karachi 3 days. The port also provides integrated logistic services in coordination with the Salalah Airport.

More than 3,000 ships of various types visit the port annually, including cruise liners. Last year, 34 cruise ships visited the port, carrying 25,400 tourists.

The port achieved last year a major breakthrough by handling 35 million containers a mere 15 years after it started operations in this area.

The Port of Salalah seeks to train and invest in the Omani cadre so that they can become technical professionals and enrols them in a number of courses that follow on-the-job training method. This strategy has resulted in Omanis being appointed to more than 70 per cent of the jobs that require specialised skills and competencies.

The port consists of a container terminal with 6 wharfs of 18-metres draft, and a general cargo terminal with 12 wharfs of 4-16 metres draft, along with good infrastructure for receiving and handling the largest of the container ships in the world, handling bulk cargo and refuelling, in addition to warehouses and stores.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications announced, at the beginning of 2014, three projects for the development of the Port of Salalah. The first project consists of building an additional berth for general cargo and a terminal for liquid materials cargo. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. The second project includes consultant services to upgrade the old cargo terminal.

Currently, the technical and financial offers from bidding companies are being analysed and the project is expected to be assigned this year for 12 months from the date of commencement of work on consultant services.

The third project involves the consultant services to design the Northern breakwater, the extension of the existing breakwater and 3D and 2D physical models, wharfs (7-8-9) and wharf for government authorities and ferry docks. Coordination with the relevant authorities is on to elicit their views before it is included in the public tender to be tendered in the second half of the year.

The port administration expects the movement of general cargo to increase during 2014 and 2015 based on the general cargo terminal expansion projects that will result in increased in import and export movement which mainly depends on this terminal.