SOHAR Port and Freezone has unveiled the latest addition to the growing number of companies utilising their high quality infrastructure and services. On Thursday evening, under the auspices of H.E. Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Chairman of the Board, a contract was signed with Saud Bahwan Group to operate in a 40-hectare area of SOHAR Freezone.
Saud Bahwan Group has played an integral role in the economic life of Oman by introducing a wide range of world-class brands to the Sultanate. The Group has established a strong presence in many fields, including vehicles; construction equipment; real estate; and tourism.
This latest agreement marks another milestone in the Freezone’s development.The lease of the first 500 hectares of SOHAR Freezone was not due to be completed until 2017. That target is 80% achieved and phase one is expected to sell-out completely by next year which has triggered the start of the planning of Phase two of the Freezone.
In the first phase of development, Saud Bahwan Automotive will develop 40 hectares of the Freezone. The land will be used as a vehicle storage and distribution centre for Toyota / Lexus vehicles. C. Steinweg Oman, the General Cargo Terminal Operator, will have an integral role to play with the handling of all cars.
Together with the already established automotive industry of Suhail Bahwan Automotive for Nissan and BMW, and OTE for Hyundai, this latest addition to the Freezone will create a significant regional automotive cluster in SOHAR, handling over 200,000 vehicles annually.
SOHAR Freezone Chief Executive Jamal Aziz was keen to outline what separates SOHAR from other free zones in the region: “The superb location of SOHAR; its connectivity; the future rail and motorway infrastructure; a new airport; great access to abundant low-cost energy and utilities; and of course the feeder network through the Port, have all put SOHAR in the global spotlight and resulted in the spectacular growth we’ve seen in the past decade.” And Andre Toet, SOHAR CEO was delighted with this new agreement: “In SOHAR we say ‘It all starts here’ and we’re going to make sure that really comes true for Toyota and Saud Bahwan Group.