Oman's Sohar port was unaffected by demonstrations carried out in Sohar after job cuts related to a local company that went bankrupt, traders told S&P Global Platts on May 25.
Sohar is a key port close to the UAE and also houses plants producing aluminum and steel. Port and bunkering activities were unaffected by the rare job demonstrations, a trader said, adding: "There are some scattered protests in Sohar but mainly outside the port area." An official from Sohar Port and Freezone told Platts: "These gatherings were held around the local offices of labor and interior ministries, which are very far from the port area. Given that the gatherings happened under the supervision of the police, there was no disruption caused by them." .
Most of the bunkering activity in the country is carried out in Muscat, followed by Salalah and Sohar. Bunkering planned in Duqm is expected to be in operation in three months, a trader said, noting that barge and terminal facilities are under construction. "In terms of prices, Duqm will not compete against Fujairah, but it will give shipowners an option to bunkering here while avoiding the already congested Strait of Hormuz," the trader said. Fujairah on the UAE's east coast is the world's third largest bunkering hub.
The Sohar Port and Freezone reported on May 23 that 2020 throughput at the port climbed almost 5% to 65.4 million mt, with gains across containers, breakbulk and liquid bulk while free zone exports rose 3.8%.
The port and freezone doubled the ship to ship volumes to 3.1 million mt. "The growth continues in 2021 where throughput has climbed another 21%" over 2020, the port official said.
Oman is part of the OPEC+ alliance that is easing crude production cuts as some economies recover from the pandemic. Petroleum activities accounted for 31% of Oman's GDP in 2020, down from 35% in 2019, according to government data.
