Port of Salalah gears up to mark 30m-TEU milestone.

Muscat: Port of Salalah, the second largest container hub within the Middle East, will soon mark a milestone of having handled 30 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) since its inception, while welcoming the first eastbound vessel call of the G6 shipping alliance.

The occasion combines a tribute to Port of Salalah's ongoing market growth and productivity in container handling with the strengthening of the port's commercial services, as the new G6 service will allow customers further options on eastbound connections to Asia and westbound to Europe, said a company release.

The G6 alliance, which started operations in April 2012, has united six container shipping firms into one of the largest vessel networks in the Far East to Europe trade lane to lift efficiency amid the downturn of the global containerships industry.

Iain Rawlinson, Chief Liner Commercial Manager of Port of Salalah said, "We welcome the G6 among our new liner services, giving our local and regional customers yet more options to connect with the world's markets. We would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the strong support over the years from our dedicated customers at Maersk, APL, MSC, SCI and CSAV, who are the major contributors in our success story. This milestone is an opportunity to recall that our location, efficiency and experience in service, and the options we can offer our customers are compelling reasons why the Port of Salalah is a port of choice for the region."

Peter Ford, CEO of Port of Salalah added, "Achieving 30 million TEU would not have been possible without of the incredible foresight and commitment from our major stakeholders. We are very thankful to the government of Oman and particularly the Ministry of Transport and Communication, as well as to APM Terminals, our valued employees and customers, and the private-public institutions which have supported the Port's growth over 14 years."

In its 14 years of operations, Port of Salalah has risen to a rank among the world's top 30 container ports and has broken the world record for productivity twice. The port has also won local and international awards in economic development,Eehealth and safety, innovation and environmental initiatives.

The Port of Salalah is located at the major east-west shipping lane and is viewed as the region's best located port in order to access the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and East Africa.

The Patrons Company

Meanwhile, Port of Salalah will become one of the first members to join His Highness Sayyid Faisal Bin Turki Al Said as a member of The Patrons Company, an exclusive group of companies in Oman investing in developing the nation's human resource through partnering with Outward Bound Oman. Over the next three years, Port of Salalah will be making it possible for 216 young people from Dhofari governorate schools to enhance their leadership skills through taking part in Outward Bound Oman courses.

Set up in May 2009, Outward Bound Oman is a not for profit educational initiative that uses challenging journeys in the mountains and deserts of Oman to develop key life skills, and help young people realise their potential. First established in 1941 in the UK, today there are Outward Bound schools in over 30 countries around the world.

Oman is the first and only country in the region to challenge and develop its young people in this unique way.

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Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC 2012

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