Sohar Port and Freezone launches emergency response organisation to boost resilience
To elevate emergency preparedness and response, including firefighting services, for all facilities and tenants, Sohar Port and Freezone (SOHAR) has launched Sohar Emergency Response Organisation.
A signing ceremony was organided to mark this milestone under the patronage of H E Eng Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi, Undersecretary for Transport at the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology.
“Ports play an important role not only as national economic drivers, but also serve as business and trade hubs in line with the Oman Vision 2040, which prioritises logistics as one of the most important pillars,” Shamakhi said in a press release.
“Sohar Port and Freezone’s investment in high-quality emergency preparedness and response will help safeguard the continuity of port operations thereby protecting the safety and vital interests of port users and Oman’s logistic chain,” he added.
The signing was also attended by representatives from Unity Fire and Safety Services LLC, a key local provider of firefighting and emergency response services that will manage Sohar Emergency Response Organisation, representatives of the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) and OQ, which will provide assistance during large scale incidents. In addition, SOHAR Emergency Response Organization will further enhance collaboration among all partners through a regularly trained system of Mutual Aid services to adequately address large scale and/or complex incidents.
SOHAR Emergency Response Organization is highly trained, specifically tailored to the scenarios in Sohar Port and Freezone and prepared to handle various incidents ranging from building and industrial fires to traffic accidents to medical emergencies and traumas.
Sohar Emergency Response Organization has several key capabilities and is tasked to provide medical assistance, standard and industrial firefighting, hazardous materials and technical rescue, including rope and confined space rescue. On a 24-hour basis, SOHAR Emergency Response Organization maintains an emergency response and dispatch centre to handle incident reports and alert emergency response team members.
The organization is tasked with providing assistance anywhere within the port within six minutes of an emergency being reported. An important additional task is to add value for tenants, with services include support in their individual emergency preplanning and training for effective (joint) emergency response operations.
As one of the fastest-growing ports in the world, SOHAR continues to leverage on its strategic location and enhance its services, positioning itself as a key logistics hub within the region and across the world boasting container, liquids, and bulk terminals.