Oman pitches new port that could give India better access to Gulf energy
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September 16, 2026 e-Paper
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September 16, 2026 e-Paper
Published – September 16, 2026 10:48 pm IST – NEW DELHI
Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. The Sohar port is located on the Omani coast on the Gulf of Oman, and ships can access hubs in the Gulf through this port as it sits far from the Strait of Hormuz. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
With the Strait of Hormuz in a chokehold due to Iran-U.S. hostilities, Oman has pitched to India investment opportunities in a new port that could provide uninterrupted access to energy resources from the Persian Gulf.
Speaking in New Delhi on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), a high-level representative of the Sohar Port of Oman welcomed Indian investments into the port and said it would serve as a platform to connect businesses in regional and global markets.
“India represents an important and growing dimension of Sohar's international investment landscape, with established Indian businesses already contributing to our industrial ecosystem. There is significant potential to deepen this relationship through investments that complement our industrial clusters, strengthen value chains and create new opportunities for growth,” said Raid Al Rubaiey, CEO of Sohar Freezone and Deputy CEO of Sohar Port.
The port is located on the Omani coast on the Gulf of Oman, and ships can access hubs in the Gulf through this port as it sits far from the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Rubaiey said Sohar Port has received investments of over $30 billion and that it is capable of handling 72 million tonnes of cargo annually. “Sohar provides an established industrial and logistics platform connecting businesses to regional and global markets,” he said.
The remarks came at the end of a two-day promotional event organised by the Embassy of Oman, during which the Ambassador of Oman, Issa Saleh Al Shibani, introduced the port and the Freezone to Indian businesses, manufacturers and exporters to increase Indian participation in the port.
Earlier, Oman had offered Duqm and Salalah ports to India, but in comparison to these two ports, the Sohar Port has the advantage of being located in the northeast of Oman, close to vital energy pipelines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and eastern Saudi Arabia. Given the risk of accessing ports of the UAE, the importance of Sohar Port has been growing, and Reuters on Wednesday reported that Saudi Arabia was offering more loadings of crude oil to Asian refiners via ship-to-ship transfer off Sohar Port after drone attacks damaged its vital pipeline to the Red Sea.
Sohar Port’s importance is expected to increase further as the Oman-UAE rail begins connecting the port to the UAE’s network, boosting cross-border freight transport.
The Embassy of Oman described the Sohar Port and Freezone as a “mega project” that has been developed by the ASYAD Group and the Port of Rotterdam, offering a "comprehensive range of services, including logistics, petrochemicals, [and] metals". It also provides the Gulf region’s first agribulk terminal.
Published – September 16, 2026 10:48 pm IST
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Fonte: The Hindu – International
