SOHAR Port and Freezone has announced full-year throughput figures for 2015, its best ever. Total cargo volumes in 2015 were up by 12% compared to 2014, at well over 50m tons - an impressive average of almost one million tons a week. Following the first full year of additional traffic from Port Sultan Qaboos, container traffic was up by a massive 62% from 2014. Break bulk also grew at SOHAR Port, with a dramatic rise of 46% from 2014, to over 1.9m tons. RoRo figures saw one of the biggest increases and were up by over 90%, with over 230,000 vehicles handled in 2015.

The figures were announced at the annual SOHAR business reception, which was held in Muscat on Tuesday evening. His Excellency Sultan Al Habsi, Chairman of SOHAR Port and Freezone, as well as SOHAR CEOs Andre Toet and Jamal Aziz, VIPs and guests from the public and private sectors attended this year’s event.

Andre Toet spoke during the event: “An average cargo throughput of close to a million tons a week in 2015, is testament to the success of our operations at SOHAR. Our rapid growth further strengthens our position as the new Gateway to the Gulf region and our continued development as a very significant regional logistics hub.”

In 2015, SOHAR added a number of new direct lines to its already impressive roster, announcing the addition of global players Hanjin, Evergreen and Simatech, adding more direct links to the Far East which in turn will sink costs all the way along the supply chain.

Jamal Aziz, CEO of SOHAR Freezone, added: “As the Port grows so does our Freezone and we are seeing more and more companies coming in to leverage our excellent logistics infrastructure. Not just the proximity of a world-class port, but also new and uncongested highways to KSA and the UAE, a new cargo airport, and this year work will start on our first rail connection from SOHAR to the Emirates border at Buraimi.”