As one of the keynote speakers at the conference, Marc Evertse, SOHAR Executive Commercial Manager, talked about intermodal and multimodal connectivity and its role in reducing the costs of doing business: “Thanks to our prime location outside the Strait of Hormuz and our seamless sea-road-air infrastructure, SOHAR is ideally placed to become of the key regional logistics hubs.”

 

 

Many new highways are under construction in SOHAR, including one connecting the Omani port directly to Saudi Arabia that will avoid the delays associated with the current routes through the UAE. SOHAR is also investing heavily in technology, with new automated truck appointment systems for the container terminal, as well as online customs clearance systems and a complete port management system, that gives shipping agents the platform to access and exchange information.

Summing up the two day event in Dubai, SOHAR Port CEO Andre Toet, said: “As the entire region shifts its focus to an economic base fuelled by knowledge, the Sultanate of Oman is ideally placed to play a critical role and become a major logistics hub. Whereas many western countries are still struggling to make the transition to a post-industrial economy, there is a huge opportunity for young countries like Oman to focus even more on education and training and leapfrog their way into leading roles in innovation sectors like sustainable energy, clean-technology, and logistics.