Hanjin Starts Calling at SOHAR
Sohar Port and Freezone has added South Korea’s container line Hanjin Shipping to its list of global shipping lines offering direct links to this Omani deepsea port.
Hanjin started its container service to Sohar from Far East, which is a significant addition in terms of direct connectivity for Sohar.
The service called ‘Fareast Middle East Express (FMX)’ will be operated with seven vessels in the capacity range of 6,500 TEUS to 8,600 TEUS.
The new route will help boost cargo carried in and out of Port Sohar.
Hanjin Shipping is Korea’s largest and one of the world’s top ten container operators, which operates about 60 liners and tramper services, transporting over 100 million tonnes of cargo annually.
Hanjin is the second major shipping line to join Sohar in the last three months, with the port welcoming the arrival of the EGL Messini from global line Evergreen, in May 2015.
The new Hanjin service will facilitate direct links to include South Korea, China, Malaysia, and Singapore. “The past year has been of huge significance for Sohar Port and specifically for our container business with OICT; the growth in both size and efficiency at OICT has led to more new lines and, most importantly, more direct connections. These direct calls help us to sink costs, savings that can be passed on all the way through the supply chain,” said Sohar chief executive Andre Toet.
The port held a special ceremony to welcome the arrival of the container ship M.V.Hanjin Hamburg into the Port on Wednesday.
Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Salem Al Futaisi, the Sultanate’s minister of transport and communications, representatives of Hanjin Shipping, as well as executives from Oman International Container Terminal (OICT) and Sohar Port and Freezone, were on the quayside to welcome the arrival of the South Korean container vessel.
