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Government Of Oman News

07 Jul 2023

Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

30 Dec 2019

Salalah Port Breaks 4-M TEU Record

Port of Salalah, the largest port in Oman, hit an all-time record container volume of 4-million TEUs in December 2019.Considering all services and volumes that were re-directed to other ports due to the impact of Cyclone Mekunu in 2018, the Port of Salalah has also achieved a 19% year-on-year volume growth, said a press note from the port, which is situated in the Dhofar Governorate, on the Arabian Sea which is on the northern part of the Indian Ocean.The concerted efforts of employees and the support of stakeholders have been reinforced by significant incremental capital expenditure as part of the company’s asset replacement and capacity augmentation program.“We are proud of the achievement of the team,” says Mark Hardiman, CEO of Port of Salalah.

03 Sep 2019

Salalah Ports Sets Productivity Record

With an annual capacity of around 5 million TEU, the Port of Salalah set a new productivity record this month, delivering 412.97 Port Moves per Hour (PMPH) on vessel Cap San Tainaro. The Port handled 3,820 moves in a port stay of 9.25 hours.Oman’s major regional gateway port and transshipment hub, located on the Arabian Sea has recorded the highest productivity ever achieved in the region. Last month, an investment of USD 31 million in asset replacement and capacity improvements over the past year at the Port of Salalah paid off.Referencing improvements in standards of work, safety and reliability achieved as part of APM Terminals Hub Excellence Program Mark Hardiman…

15 Jan 2019

BP Partners with Eni For Exploring Oman Block

British multinational oil and gas company BP and Italian oil and gas giant ENI have signed a heads of agreement with the Ministry of Oil & Gas of Oman to explore Block 77 in central Oman.In addition, Eni has signed with the Ministry of Oil & Gas and with BP a Head of Agreement (HoA) that sets up the principles for the acquisition of the Exploration and Production rights of Block 77 onshore.Block 77, with a total area of almost 3,100 km2, is located in central Oman, 30 km east of the BP-operated Block 61 which contains the already-producing Khazzan gas project as well as the Ghazeer project, currently under development.Under the HoA,…

14 May 2018

Total to Set Up LNG Bunkering Hub in Oman

French energy group Total said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Oman to develop natural gas resources in the country."Total and Shell as operator will develop several natural gas discoveries located in the Greater Barik area on onshore Block 6 with respective shares of 25 percent and 75 percent, as per the agreement between both companies and before possible State back-in, with the objective of an initial gas production of around 500 MMcfd and a potential to reach 1 bcf/d at a later stage," Total said in a press release on Sunday."Total will use its equity gas entitlement as feedstock to develop in Oman a regional hub for liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering service to supply LNG as a fuel to marine vessels.

13 May 2018

Shell, Total to Develop Gas Project in Oman

Total has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Oman to develop natural gas resources in Oman. This MoU covers both upstream and downstream businesses. Total and Shell as operator will develop several natural gas discoveries located in the Greater Barik area on onshore Block 6 with respective shares of 25% and 75%, as per the agreement between both companies and before possible State back-in, with the objective of an initial gas production of around 500 MMcfd and a potential to reach 1 bcf/d at a later stage. Total will use its equity gas entitlement as feedstock to develop in Oman a regional hub for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering service to supply LNG as a fuel to marine vessels.

04 Mar 2017

Oman Shipping to Acquire 10 Tankers

Omani government-owned Oman Shipping Company (OSC) has secured USD 227 million in debt to finance the acquisition of ten tankers, Reuters said citing France-based Societe Generale. The new medium range tankers are chartered to Shell Tankers Singapore for seven years. Societe Generale acted as sole arranger and sole underwriter for the landmark transaction, which involved a combination of export credit agency (ECA) and commercial financing. Seven of the 10 vessels were covered by Korea’s export credit agency, K-Sure. Comprising a combination of commercial debt and export credit agency financing, the agreement covers the purchase of 50,000 dwt medium-range tankers constructed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries.

02 Mar 2017

SocGen Arranges Financing for Oman Shipping's Tanker Play

Oman Shipping Company, wholly owned by the government of Oman, raised $227 million in debt to back the purchase of 10 tankers, Societe Generale said on Thursday.   Societe Generale was the sole arranger and sole underwriter of the transaction, which comprised a combination of commercial debt and export credit agency financing.   The commercial portion of the debt package also involved Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, the Korea Development Bank and ABN Amro. Reporting by Davide Barbuscia

29 Feb 2016

Oman Port Targets Bigger Iran Shipping Ties

Oman aims to expand shipping and trade links with Iran and get ahead of rivals after the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran, leading port officials involved say. Measures were lifted last month as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, ending years of isolation which saw the international shipping sector cut ties and disrupt supplies to import-dependent Iran. The United Arab Emirates previously enjoyed greater shipping activity with Iran but Oman's nearby Sohar port is looking at expanding ties. Oman could also benefit from a spat between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran which saw Riyadh cut ties last month and others like the UAE to downgrade relations. Annual UAE-Iran container trade pre-sanctions was estimated at 1.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).

15 Dec 2015

Salalah Port Opens New Deep-water Terminal

The Port of Salalah, a major Arab Gulf regional gateway port and transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, has inaugurated a new deep-water General Cargo and Liquid Bulk Terminal, adding 20 million tons of dry cargo and six million tons of liquid bulk cargo annual handling capacity. The 1266 meter  quay offers two 320 meter-long General Cargo berths, two 300 meter-long liquid bulk berths and a depth of 18 meters. “The new facility is able to handle a wide range of vessels, ranging from naval ships, to vessels handling limestone, cement, livestock, project cargo and other dry bulk commodities as Salalah continues to grow as a key center of trade and logistics for the region” said Port of Salalah CEO David Gledhill.

24 Feb 2013

Sohar Port, Oman, Fully Operational by January 2014

Construction of the new 70-hectare container terminal at Port of Sohar begins shortly, operational in 2014. As part of the expansion deal, container-terminal operator Hutchison Whampoa has signed an agreement for developing the 70-hectare container terminal for Oman International Container Terminal which will raise capacity from 800,000 Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 1,500,000 TEU's. Port of Sohar is a deep sea port in the Middle East situated in the Sultanate of Oman, 220km northwest of its capital Muscat. The management of this industrial port lies with Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC (SIPC), a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam. Port of Sohar houses three clusters: logistics, petrochemicals and metals.

04 Jun 2012

Oman Shipping Invests in Counter-Piracy Measures

Equally important, he said, is the need to safeguard the company’s Omani and multinational crew, some 600 of whom are at sea at any given time. “We spend a lot of money training our people. We use external consultants and have them sail on our vessels. We run through mock drills and mock attacks, provide citadels (safe rooms) on our ships, bulletproof film on the windows, body armour, razor wire, communications, and so on. This involves a big expense, but there is no alternative,” Capt Boyce told delegates on the second day of the TransOman Conference at the Grand Hyatt Muscat. In addition, the company spends significant sums on the deployment of private armed security guards on its vessels during sailings through piracy-prone waters.

26 Mar 2012

Liquid Natural Gas Carrier Ordered by Oman Shipping Co

The Oman Shipping Company (OSC) has  signed an order for a new build LNG carrier with Hyundai Heavy based in Ulsan, South Korea. The LNG carrier, for delivery in 2014, will have a 162,000 cubic metres capacity, and is to be fitted out with dual fuel engines. The new ship will comply with European ‘Green Certificate’ requirements, and will have accommodation as a training vessel for up to six trainees and an instructor at any one time. OSC already owns and operates a fleet of five LNG carriers, which are all technically managed in-house by Oman Ship Management Company. Oman Shipping Company is a closed joint stock company, incorporated in 2003 and owned by the Government of Oman through the Ministry of Finance (80 per cent) and Oman Oil (20 per cent).

01 Jul 2010

Thoma-Sea Wins Navy Deal

Thoma-Sea Shipbuilders of Lockport reportedly won a $7.3m contract to build a Catamaran Hull Hydrographic Survey Vessel for the government of Oman, according to a report on www.brahmand.com. This vessel will be built by Thoma-Sea as a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Thoma-Sea’s partner in this proposal is Technology Associates Inc. (TAI) of New Orleans in Louisiana. TAI prepared the proposal for Thoma-Sea and will be in charge of performing the Design, Program Management and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) functions for Thoma-Sea.  The Sultanate of Oman will receive this 90-foot vessel, which is designed to conduct hydrographic and environmental surveys of harbors and bays, and will work in Oman’s territorial waters, according to the release. (SOURCE: www.brahmand.com)

16 Jan 2007

VT Group Signs $600m Oman Ship Contract

VT Group (VT), the Support Services and Shipbuilding Company, has signed a contract with the Government of Oman to supply three Ocean Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Work will start immediately on the programme with the first of the ships, which are approximately 100 metres in length, scheduled for hand-over in early 2010 and the subsequent ships at six-month intervals. The programme is valued at around £400 million over a five-year period, including initial support. VT Group Chief Executive Paul Lester commented: “This is a major export success for the UK and maintains the long and successful relationship we have had with the Royal Navy of Oman over the past 25 years. These ships will be the most advanced of their type in the world when they are completed.