Hutchison Ports Sohar, an ultra-modern container-handling facility, has held a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of construction on its new Solar Powered Integrated Inspection Facility Project.
The ceremony was attended by H.E. Eng. Khamis Al Shamakhi Undersecretary of Ministry of Transport, Mr. Muhna Al Lawatia, General Manager of Ports at Ministry of Transport, Mr. Abdullah Al Hadabi, General Manager at Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR) and delegates from Customs, Mr. Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of SOHAR Port and the management team of Hutchison Ports Sohar.
The new $30 million project is part of the terminal’s development plans, which is to improve inbound and outbound container inspection services. The integrated inspection facility will further support Oman Customs and other related authorities to seamlessly turnover the inspection with enhanced security measures under the Sultanate of Oman’s Logistics Strategy (SOLS) 2040.
Mark Geilenkirchen CEO – SOHAR Port
“Hutchison Ports Sohar is one of SOHAR’s biggest success stories and we are delighted with the progress the company has made. The new facility in the terminal will be vital in attracting world-class tenants to the complex and improving customer experience and satisfaction. This will continue to create an environment where business can thrive and contribute to the ongoing development of the national economy.”
Eng. Al Shamakhi said that such an initiative by the company illustrates a true partnership with the government to facilitate smoother, timely handling and clearance of goods, additionally, by adopting new simplified processes and standards that will improve and improve world-class operations of the port.
This project is designed to accelerate the process of Customs inspection through high standard services, and it will ease the process of releasing the goods from the container terminal. In addition, by using the X-ray container scanners, the new project will help to distinguish between containers with high risk and low risk.
The facility will span across a total area of 37,000 square meters within the Terminal C premises and is expected to be completed by mid of 2023. Once completed, it is set to be the largest and first integrated one-stop-shop for all the relevant government authorities to handle the clearance in the Sultanate.
“This integrated inspection facility project will be transformative for the clearance process but more importantly, it will significantly expand terminal’s ability to serve the growing community needs through a superior one-stop-shop service station,” Mr. Anacin Kum, CEO of Hutchison Ports Sohar said.
