Partnership will promote road safety awareness, aims to reduce accident rates in Oman

Muscat, May 27, 2018: SOHAR Port and Freezone have joined hands with the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL), to promote road safety awareness and safe driving techniques, and to collaborate on the adoption of OPAL Road Safety Standards in the Port and Freezone area.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on May 20, at The Head office of SOHAR Port and Freezone in Muscat. The agreement was signed by the CEO SOHAR Port, Mark Geilenkirchen and CEO SOHAR Freezone and DCEO SOHAR Port, Jamal Aziz, on behalf of SOHAR, while the CEO, Musallam Al Mandhari, represented OPAL.

Highlighting the importance of maintaining safe driving practices at all times, Suwaid Al Shamaisi, the Executive Manager Corporate Affairs at SOHAR Port and Freezone noted, “SOHAR Port and Freezone is committed to maintaining a healthy, safe, and secure environment for our industries, our surrounding community, and nature itself. Additionally, SOHAR continues to upgrade its rules and regulations to match the latest global standards. Our traffic safety protocols are quite strict and will be further enhanced through this agreement. Together with the support of OPAL, the application of the Road Safety Standard will greatly contribute to reducing traffic incidents, to ensure the well-being of all our staff, stakeholders and society at large.”

The Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL) is the first society in Oman’s Petroleum Industry to be officially approved and established in the Sultanate of Oman. It was launched on October 27, 2001 under the Ministry of Social Development. OPAL started as a concept in 1998, wherein like-minded companies embarked on a mission to promote industry standards and create a level playing field.

Musallam Al Mandhari commented, “At OPAL, we aim to provide and promote best-practice workplace competence and professionalism under one roof. We strive to raise the standards of the Oman Petroleum Industry and related industries to a level that is world class, internationally competitive, and optimally utilises industrial resources; while at the same time being mindful of their respective business interests.”

“Additionally, OPAL will be forming an implementation committee together with our users within the Port. It will integrate relevant components of the Road Safety Standards with SOHAR’s Rules and Regulations, thus creating an overall risk-free environment for the Sultanate in the long-run.” Suwaid Al Shamaisi concluded.

OPAL is a non-profit organization, which is also the industry forum society for Oman’s Petroleum Industry. It has over 400 members, which comprise of several Oil & Gas companies, including large and small Oil & Gas producers and operators, contractors, and suppliers.

For more information on SOHAR Port and Freezone, visit soharportandfreezone.com