SOHAR -- APL Atlanta, operated by global container carrier APL, made its maiden visit to the Port of Sohar's Oman International Container Terminal (OICT) yesterday, further reinforcing Sohar's growing appeal to international containerised shipping. On board the 267-metre-long vessel were 1,135 twenty equivalent units (TEUs) of containers bound for a number of well-established Muscat-based consignees. This volume of cargo represented a significant part of the vessel's total capacity of 4,730 TEUs of containers.
OICT Chief Executive Officer Teo Lawrence hailed the APL Atlanta's visit as a recognition of Sohar's strategic geographical importance at the entrance to the Arabian Gulf, as well as its increasing prominent role in serving customers in the Batinah and Muscat regions. "APL's decision to call at Sohar is a testament to the world-class services offered by OICT.
Our superior performance and competitive prices make it increasingly attractive for international container shipping lines to operate from Sohar. With a commendable gantry crane productivity of 30 moves per hour and a truck turnaround of 20 minutes, OICT ensures a high degree of efficiency and cost savings to shipping lines calling at Sohar," Teo Lawrence said.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
