Press Release
| 10/12/2011 |
| Sohar Bulk Terminal starts exports of aggregate still this year |
This week, a long awaited milestone is announced by Sohar Bulk Terminal. The start of operations in Sohar on December 15 marks the start of new opportunities for local aggregate producers and quarry holders.
TMILL, a TATA Steel subsidiary, along with partners, Khimji Ramdas, have entered into an agreement with Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC (SIPC) to establish an operating company for the handling of dry bulk minerals. Along the earlier constructed bulk jetty in Sohar, a dedicated terminal will be established that can accommodate vessels up to 16 meters of draft. Although the terminal will initially cater for the large demand for a local aggregate export terminal, the facility is equipped to export and import a full range of bulk minerals as for example limestone and clinker.
Mr. Jan Meijer, CEO of SIPC and Mr. Jamal Aziz, DCEO signed an agreement together with Pankaj Khimji, Director of Khimji Ramdas Shipping LLC, and Dibyendu Bose, Managing Director of TM International Logistics Limited. The agreement was signed at the offices of Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC in Sohar.
Whilst the consortium is currently working on the designs of the terminal, in order to assist the local aggregate quarry holders at the earliest, they are preparing a temporary site from where operations can start by mid-December. The design of the permanent facility upholds a 3, 5 kilometer conveyor belt system to connect the storage yard with the terminal. The capacity of the permanent terminal will, due to the use of modern handling equipment, reach 10 million tons per annum at full production.
The Port of Sohar is one of the largest port development projects in the world with investments exceeding $14 billion. It is a deep sea port with a draft of 18 meters. The Port of Sohar is a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam and located 220 km northwest of the capital Muscat. This industrial port is a deep sea port and has grown tremendously in size and importance, in only eight years since inception in 2003.
Khimji Ramdas is a leading business group in the Sultanate of Oman trusted and respected for over a century. Their diverse business interests range from retailing luxury accessories, supermarket chains, restaurants, pharma and health care products, paints, home appliances besides shipping Agents, freight forwarding, warehousing & distribution etc.
TMILL is a specialized marine logistics company with 4 business verticals. Their Port and Terminal Division is a specialized bulk terminal operator and operates, among others, the bulk terminal at the Dhamra Port, a deepwater bulk port in India. TMILL is a subsidiary of the prestigious TATA Steel Group of India. The company has international presence with offices in India, Dubai, Hamburg and Shanghai.
Mr. Jan Meijer, the CEO of Sohar Iindustrial Port Company SAOC stated that this agreement is considered as a very important progress in the development of Port of Sohar.It will create opportunities for local companies to start mining and exporting minerals from the Batinah region and through that create jobs for the local Omani workforce
For further information please contact;
Aisha Al Mamari
Communication Officer
Sohar Industrial Port Company
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