Port of Salalah has recently welcomed its namesake the APL Salalah, one of the largest containerships in the world, in an exclusive ceremony attended by H.E. Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan Al Busaid, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, along with senior government and commercial representatives, and a number of the port’s management group.
The ceremony was held in recognition of the 10 years of partnership between APL and the Port of Salalah, and the esteem which has been accorded to Salalah and the Sultanate of Oman, in naming one of the largest container vessels in the world after the city. APL is among the most internationally recognized companies in global container transportation with over 160 years of operations in global shipping.
During a guided tour of the APL Salalah, H.E. Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan bin Hamoud Al Busaid said, “Long-standing business partnerships such as this demonstrated today between APL and Salalah provides for the mechanism needed to diversify and advance the country’s economic development. Throughout history and until today the world’s commodities are most often transported by sea, and Salalah’s mega-port has supported in positioning Oman on the global stage by providing a progressive hub for manufacturing and distribution.”
The recently launched APL Salalah is capable of carrying 10,700 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units). At 347 meters long, APL Salalah is three and a half times the length of a football pitch.
The APL Salalah connects China and Europe, and calls the Port of Salalah both east-and west-bound on a regular basis. APL utilizes Salalah to offer their customers the shortest direct route from the region to connect business to the major Europe-Asia trade lane and with the major markets of the world.
“Over the past 10 years, APL has witnessed tremendous progress in the Port of Salalah as it developed into a world-class transshipment hub in the West Central Asia region,” said Jason Wong, APL Regional President for South Asia . “In naming our containership APL Salalah, we are proud to be associated with this port-city and we look forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration with our business partners here.”
Senior representatives from the Chambers of Commerce in Muscat and in Salalah and major businesses utilizing the Port of Salalah were among dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony. In an address to the crowd, Ahmed Akaak, Deputy CEO at the Port of Salalah , said, “We have tied together the best of what Oman has to offer, serving world markets from a strategic hub. Solid infrastructure and connectivity, combined with our value-driven operations has enabled the company to grow over 600% since its operations began 15 years ago.”
Port of Salalah is among the top transshipment ports globally and receives an average of 5-6 container vessels daily, and handles an average of over 10,000 containers and 20,000 metric tons of bulk cargo a day, translating annually into over 3.6 million TEU and 7.2 million tons of bulk cargo.
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Port of Salalah, June 20, 2013