The Port of Salalah has opened a new terminal adding 20m tons of general cargo capacity and 6m tons of liquid bulk cargo handling capacity annually.

Built by the government of Oman at a cost of OMR 55m($143m), the project includes has 1,266 m of quay with two 320 m general cargo berths and two 300 m liquid bulk berths and a depth of 18 meters.

“The new facility is able to handle a wide range of vessels, ranging from naval ships, to vessels handling limestone, cement, livestock, project cargo and other dry bulk commodities as Salalah continues to grow as a key center of trade and logistics for the region,” said Salalah Port ceo David Gledhill.

Salalah Port deputy ceo Ahmed Akaak added: “A dedicated pipe corridor links the new liquid bulk terminal directly with one of our customers operating within the port, and in the future, an extension will connect with the Salalah Free Zone where new customers are setting up their plants.”

The APM Terminals-operated port, which handled 3.03m teu in 2014, along with 10.3m tons of bulk cargo, was recently selected for new calls from CMA CGM on its Noura Express and Europe-Pakistan-India Consortium (EPIC) services.