Duqm Port receives maiden shipment from Europe

SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE: Mediterranean Shipping Company ships first batch of containers from Port Antwerp

A shipment of containers from Europe was discharged at the Port of Duqm recently in the first such consignment of containers handled by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s second largest container shipping line.

The cargo was shipped on board MSC Laurence from Antwerp (Belgium) to Jebel Ali (UAE) and transshipped to Port of Duqm by the feeder service of Oman Container Liner.

The cargo included equipment for Serka Taahhut Insaat, the construction unit of Turkish conglomerate Adali Holding, which is developing the infrastructure of the commercial quay at Duqm Port.

Reggy Vermeulen, CEO of Port of Duqm, said: “MSC is amongst the first shipping lines to include Port of Duqm in its register as an end destination and we expect many other lines to follow soon. Clients active in and around the Duqm area will now have many more options to ship their containerised cargoes in and out of the port to destinations all over the globe. This will enhance the competitiveness of the port and we expect volumes traded through Duqm to grow substantially over time.” Tariq Khattak, MSC’s local representative in Oman, added: “The Duqm Special Economic Zone and Port represent one of the largest development projects in the region.

The port has the potential to attract significant amounts of project cargo, supporting trade development in Oman, in particular in the government initiatives in the Al Wusta Governorate in Oman.

MSC already operates services calling at the Omani ports of Salalah and Suhar and we are delighted to complement our presence in the country by contributing to the growth of Port of Duqm.”