Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO), SOHAR Port and Freezone have signed a bunker license agreement for OOMCO to provide marine fuels to vessels visiting SOHAR Port and also at the anchorage area
The bunker license will see OOMCO operate the 10,000mt bunker barge MT ALPHA (IMO 9286451) to enhance the position of SOHAR Port as the port of choice in the region for vessel owners and operators requiring bunkering services by improving turnaround times and maintaining supply chain efficiency.
The bunker barge is capable of supplying all low sulphur fuel-compliant marine fuels, in line with IMO 2020. Fuels available will include very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) 0.5% and low sulphur marine gas oil (MGO) 0.1% and high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) 3.5% at delivery rates up to 1,000 cu/m per hour.
Tarik Al Junaidi, chief executive officer, OOMCO, commented, “We are very pleased with the performance of our bunker equipment and team, and we look forward to utilising our capability and resources to supply SOHAR Port and Freezone. This bunker license represents an important joint effort to work together to further boost Oman’s logistics sector and contribute to the national economic diversification efforts.”
Omar bin Mahmood Al Mahrizi, chief executive officer, SOHAR Freezone, said, “SOHAR is located close to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The need to serve these ships in a quick and efficient manner in order to allow them to continue on their journey and meet transportation deadlines is highly important to help ensure the integrity of global supply chainsand strengthen the position of SOHAR as an integrated logistics hub with great connectivity to major shipping lines globally. We have been very pleased with the quality, safety and speed of the service offered by OOMCO and we are delighted to continue this relationship by working together. This will serve to strengthen Oman’s shipping and logistics sector as demand for high-quality and regulatory-compliant bunker fuels increases in the future.”
The bunker fuel market in the Middle East and Africa region is expected to grow at more than 12% during the period of 2022-2025. SOHAR Port and Freezone can serve the needs of the global shipping market, attract further investment and support Oman’s journey to becoming an international logistics hub. For more information, visit soharportandfreezone.com.
