SALALAH -- Port of Salalah and APL, one of the largest container vessels in the world, entered into a new era of partnership with the arrival of APL Salalah, the container vessel named after the Sultanate of Oman's second largest city. A ceremony was held yesterday in the port premises to mark the 10 years of partnership between APL and the Port of Salalah. The ceremony was held under the auspices of Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar. Senior government officials, representatives from private sector and port officials were present on the occasion.
Al Busaidy did a guided tour of the vessel and said: "This makes me proud to see vessels of this capacity calling on Port of Salalah. It strongly endorses capabilities of the port, which is one of the largest employers in Oman. Salalah's mega-port has supported in positioning Oman on the global stage by providing a progressive hub for manufacturing and distribution." The vessel (APL) is among the most internationally recognised companies in global container transportation with over 160 years of operations in global shipping.
The recently launched APL Salalah is capable of carrying 10,700 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units). At 347 metres long, APL Salalah is three and a half times the length of a football pitch. Lain Rawlinson, Chief Liner Commercial Manager, termed APL an important partner of the Port of Salalah. "The APL Salalah connects Salalah with 25 destinations in Asia, Europe and Americas," he said. The APL Salalah connects China and Europe, and calls the Port of Salalah both east-and west-bound on a regular basis. APL utilises 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 container ship 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," he said. Senior representatives from the Chambers of Commerce in Muscat and in Salalah and major businesses utilising the Port of Salalah were among dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony.
Ahmed Akaak, Deputy CEO of the Port 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 per cent 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 tonnes of bulk cargo a day, translating annually into over 3.6 million TEU and 7.2 million tonnes of bulk cargo.
© Oman Daily Observer 2013
