Sohar Port targets Indian traders as Gulf gateway
The move: Sohar Port courts Indian businesses
Oman’s Sohar Port and Sohar Free Zone held an exposition in New Delhi earlier this week to attract Indian businesses. The port is positioning itself as a gateway for Indian businesses, traders and investors to access the Gulf and the broader West Asia region amid the maritime challenges posed by the US-Iran war.
The event highlighted Sohar Port and Freezone’s integrated port and ecosystem, investment opportunities across industrial sectors and infrastructure supporting businesses operating from Oman.
What Sohar Port does
Sohar Port is a 21 million sqm deep-sea hub outside the Strait of Hormuz. Operational since 2004, it comprises three major clusters of logistics, petrochemicals and metals, and has added a food cluster with Oman’s first-ever terminal dedicated to the handling of agricultural products.
The port handles over 72 million tonnes of cargo annually and offers a variety of value-added services. The Sohar Port and Free Zone has attracted more than $30 billion in total investments.
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Why it matters for buyers and partners outside India
For Indian traders, Sohar is positioned as a gateway to the Gulf and the broader West Asia region. Its proximity to the UAE is also linked to a plan to create a green corridor with Jabel Ali Port, which will enable quicker customs clearance for Indian goods to reach Jabel Ali from Sohar.
Oman’s ports
“Sohar and other ports of Oman are now becoming a gateway for Indian manufacturing sector expansion in Oman and also the wider region,” ambassador of Oman to India, Issa Saleh Abdullah Alshibani, told ET.
Oman’s Port of Salalah is also being positioned for exports of agricultural and food products from India to the Gulf, while India has a strategic presence in the Port of Duqm, which is the gateway to the largest special economic zone in the entire Gulf.
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