A terminal at the Sohar Port and Freezone has handled more than three million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) containers since beginning operations in 2014. The news was announced by Hutchison Ports Sohar, which manages the container terminal otherwise known as Terminal 3.

TEU is used to measure a ship’s cargo carrying capacity. The world’s largest container ships can carry in excess of 14,000 TEUs. Hutchison Ports Sohar’s Terminal 3 achieved the milestone accomplishment in just four years. The facility is an ultra-modern container-handling facility with a current handling capacity of the terminal is 1.4 TEU million per year.

The success of Terminal 3 comes only weeks after the terminal was awarded for operational excellence at the Transport & Logistics Middle East Awards.

The achievement coincided with a signing ceremony for the purchase of two new remote-controlled quay cranes from Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. (ZPMC), a leading Chinese heavy-duty equipment manufacturer. The new cranes will boost Terminal C’s annual TEU capacity, driving it to 1.8 million a year. Following their delivery, Hutchison Ports Sohar will have a total of six remote-controlled super post-Panamax quay cranes and seven manually operated cranes for a total of 13 ship-to-shore cranes.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Anacin Kum, CEO of Hutchison Ports Sohar, said, “Upon the delivery of these cranes, the capacity of Terminal C will rise to 1.8 million TEU per year.”

“I’m confident that these investments will add further weight to Hutchison Ports Sohar’s standing among the world’s leading ports. Additional investments over the coming years will further contribute to the growth of the shipping industry in the region and in the Sultanate.”

As part of the same order, Hutchison Ports Sohar will acquire eight new automated rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which will be operated remotely from a centralised operations centre. This will further enhance the safety and efficiency of operations. All cranes will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2019.

The milestone is in line with the Sultanate’s efforts to boost TEU capacity at the Sohar Port and Freezone. In 2017, vessel calls at the port increased by 16.7 per cent. The total number of containers handled rose by 37 per cent, reaching nearly 850,000 TEUs.

Overall cargo grew by 12 per cent as well, including Dry Bulk, Break Bulk, Containers, and Anchorage Services, among other categories.

Logistics forms a key part of Oman’s National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh), being one of five sectors highlighted to further diversify the Sultanate’s economy.