Sultan Qaboos News

Two warships came to the aid of an injured seafarer on board the Indian-flagged merchant tanker Lourdes off the coast of Oman in the early hours on Monday.French frigate Jean Bart and Japanese destroyer Ariake were called to conduct the emergency operation, which saw medical personnel from both vessels assist an Indian patient who had a suspected head injury.At 0100Z (0400 local time), a Japanese medic provided immediate assistance on board MV Lourdes, before coordinating with…

Two Indian sailors were killed in a fire on board a vessel off Yemen while three Indians injured in the fire have been admitted to a hospital in Oman, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. Sharing the tragic news on twitter, the minister also expressed her condolences to the bereaved families. "We have lost two Indian sailors Mahesh Kumar Rajagopal and Deepu Lathika Mohan due to fire in a vessel Al Sadaa. My condolences," she tweeted. The minister said the injured have been admitted to a hospital in Salalah, Oman. ”The three injured have been admitted in a hospital in Salalah, Oman. Our missions in Djibouti and Oman are providing all assistance,” she added. Swaraj said that Indian “missions in Djibouti and Oman were providing all possible assistance”.

Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine) delivered the second Patrol Vessel RNOV Shinas to the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO). The Company also held the Naming Ceremony for the third PV RNOV Sadh built for the Navy. The Guest-of-Honour was the Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman, Rear Admiral (RADM) Abdullah bin Khamis bin Abdullah al-Raisi. The contract for the design and build of the four Al-Ofouq Class of PVs was awarded by the Ministry of Defence of the Sultanate of Oman through a competitive international tender in April 2012. These four vessels will replace the current four Seeb-class patrol vessels commissioned in the early 1980s. The Al-Ofouq class of petrol vessels measures 75m in length and displaces approximately 1,250 tonnes.

Secretary of State John Kerry will push India to make it easier for U.S. companies to do business there on a trip next week that also takes him to Europe to meet officials from Oman, Iran and Bulgaria, U.S. officials said on Friday. Earlier this week, the State Department said Kerry would travel to India this weekend to attend an investment summit promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held in the city of Ahmedabad, in Modi's home state of Gujarat. Among the top agenda items on Kerry's trip, which is to be followed by a visit to India by President Barack Obama for India's Jan. 26 Republic Day celebrations, is breaking down some of the barriers to U.S. companies.

Gulf of Oman port bids to become transhipment centre for region; to more than double container capacity by 2017. Part of Oman's drive is to industrialise, diversify beyond oil. An advertisement by the highway outside Dubai's massive Jebel Ali Port tells firms they don't need to ship goods through the Strait of Hormuz, the traditional gateway to the Gulf. Instead they can have goods delivered to a port in Oman, outside the Gulf, and bring them into the region by road. "Why go through the Strait when you can go straight to the Gulf," the billboard reads, in a challenge to Jebel Ali, which has become one of the biggest ports in the world by handling many of the region's imports via Hormuz.

Adverse weather from 15 to 17 June may affect cargo operations & marine movements of Port Sultan Qaboos, as a result of a tropical storm expected to hit the Omani coast on Sunday (15 June). The Omani Metrological Department has this morning issued a weather warning advising that Tropical Storm "Nanauk" is expected to hit the Omani coast between Ras Al Hadd and Ras Madrakah on 15 June. At the time of reporting, the storm was centered about 850km from Masirah Island, and estimated wind surface wind speed were between 35 and 45 knots. If the storm reaches Sharqiyah, it might affect Muscat, particularly northern areas of the governorate. The storm could bring between 100-300mm of rain during the 24-hour period.

A classroom of NAUTIS Desktop Trainers and a NAUTIS Instructor Station was purchased by the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO). The simulators allow the IMCO to add certified ECDIS Model course 1.27 training to its curriculum. The classroom was delivered and installed by VSTEP engineers at the IMCO premises in Sohar, Oman. IMCO purchased twelve NAUTIS Desktop trainer units and a NAUTIS Instructor Station to provide the complete range of ECDIS Model Course training for its students.

In a decisive move to convert Oman's Sultan Qaboos Port into a tourism hub August 31, 2014 would be the deadline for receiving container, cargo, vehicle carriers and other vessels carrying project material at the port, reports the Times of Oman, citing Minister of Transport and Communications, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi. The directive comes in response to the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to convert the Sultan Qaboos Port into a tourist port and transfer all commercial activities to the Sohar Industrial Port.

The Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) organized a reception ceremony for Al Shamikh vessel, first of three vessels in the Khareef project for RNO. Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib al-Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs sponsored the ceremony which was held at the Said bin Sultan Naval Base, where he, along with commanders, greeted the vessel upon its arrival at the Naval base to join other vessels of the RNO fleet. Sayyid al-Busaidi and Senior invitees toured the vessel facilities and had an idea about its different sections and equipment.