The new service, in partnership between Evergreen and Simatech, will now regularly connect Sohar Port with other major ports in South Asia. The new line is an important addition as it broadens the connectivity of Sohar with the world and will offer even more choice for Omani importers and exporters.

His Excellency Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, Chairman of the Board of SIPC, the Port Authority; His Excellency Said bin Hamdoon bin Saif Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Ports and Maritime Affairs; Sohar Port and Freezone CEO’s Andre Toet and Jamal Aziz; Albert Pang, the CEO of Oman International Container Terminal LLC (OICT); as well as representatives of the Evergreen and Simatech shipping lines were at the quayside on Friday ahead of the arrival of the vessel in Sohar.

The ceremony also celebrated the continued rapid growth of Sohar Port; since the closure of Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat to commercial traffic in June last year, the handling capacity for container traffic at OICT in Sohar Port has more than doubled.

His Excellency Sultan Al Habsi, Chairman of the Board of Sohar Port and Freezone, commented: “By attracting investment in Oman, we are realizing the vision of the government to create another major regional hub port which will help grow not only our captive cargo, but will also take full advantage of Oman’s strategic location for trans-shipment activities.”

Andre Toet, CEO of the Port Authority, said: “Today’s maiden call bears witness to the steady growth in both our handling capacity and our efficiency at Sohar Port. The continued smooth operations at OICT have brought us new lines and more connections. Regular calls of vessels like the EGL Messini are a sign of even bigger things to come.”

Sohar Port aims to ensure all Oman-bound cargo will be directed through Omani ports in the near future. Jamal Aziz, CEO of Sohar Freezone said: “Sohar Port Authority is actively working together with OICT and our other terminals on a strategy to ensure all Omani cargo flows are secured in Oman.”

As Sohar Port flourishes so does the Freezone; Jamal Aziz concluded: “We now have the capacity for 1.5 million TEUs annually through the Port and that translates directly into more business opportunities in Sohar Freezone; as the Freezone grows as a manufacturing base, the Port will also grow its share of exports. Our aim is to build more in-country value all the way along the supply chain and today’s ceremony marks another important step on that journey.”

Towering nearly 30 stories high, the new electric ship-to-shore cranes, which were ordered from Konecranes, are the largest STS ever built by the company. They are 289 feet tall with a lift height of 204 feet and they will handle ships 22 containers wide.

“As part of a substantial upgrade of our Barbours Cut Container Terminal, these new Super Post-Panamax cranes will accommodate the significantly larger vessels that will be calling on our container terminals after the expansion of the Panama Canal,” Port Commission Chairman Janiece Longoria said. “International trade, primarily containerized cargo, continues to expand rapidly at our facilities. More trade means more jobs and economic activity for our region and state in support of our mission.”

The new cranes can lift and lower a loaded container at twice the speed of those currently in use at the Barbours Cut terminal. The meticulous operation of moving the cranes from the vessel to the wharf was completed when the fourth crane was offloaded on May 19, marking the beginning of a new era for the Barbours Cut terminal. In the coming weeks, these cranes will be tested and readied for operation. All the cranes should be operational by early fall. The nearly USD50 million contract for the cranes was approved by the Port Commission in 2013.

Testament not only to the increasing popularity of these machines, but also to Konecranes consistency and expertise. The 5000th unit is a SMV 4538 CCX4, a reach stacker especially designed for intermodal operations and with capacity to lift wagons, trailers and swap bodies up to 45tonnes capacity at 1st rail. The reach stacker is equipped to have up to 35tonnes capacity at 2nd rail to fit the customer’s row rail operation at 6450 mm load centre. The machine is one of the latest C generation lift trucks and comes with an all-new Optima cabin, and complies with EU stage 4 engine regulations. Konecranes have delivered Reach Stackers for Intermodal operations throughout the world for many years.

The special customer receiving the 5000th machine is the Cargo Terminal Lehmann, owned and managed by the Hans Lehmann group, a German shipping and ports operations company with further interests in ready-mixed concrete. Lehmann will attended a special hand-over at the Konecranes production plant in Markaryd. Janne Kangaste, Managing Director of Lehmann, says; “The top of the class service network and care from the distributor together with a hard working machine, specialized for our needs in rail handling, is really what makes us comfortable and happy with Konecranes”. Sales Area Manager Germany, Ralf Gowin, fills in “It is a great pleasure to be able to provide such a quality companylike Lehmann with our products”

Lars Fredin, Senior Vice-President and Head of Business Unit lift Trucks concludes, “We could not be prouder of this achievement, it speaks to our team’s commitment to consistently produce products of quality. It’s important to take time out on these occasions and acknowledge the wonderful customers and staff that got us to this point.”