Barka, Asyad Group today marked the official opening of Khazaen Dry Port, one of Oman Investment Authority’s logistic investments undertaken in partnership with the private sector, with the prime aim of promoting economic diversification and consolidating the Sultanate of Oman’s status a global logistics hub.

Sheikh Issa Hamad Al Azri, Governor of South Al Batinah, was the chief guest at the ceremony, which was attended by Eng. Khamis Mohammed Al Shamakhi, Transport Undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and representatives of government departments and private sector firms.

Eng. Al Shamakhi said the start of operations at Khazaen Dry Port, besides revolutionizing the logistic schema, will provide additional incentives to the business sector—reflecting positively on raising Oman’s Ease of Doing Business Index.

Echoing a similar view, Col. Said Khamis Al Gheithi, Director-General of Customs at the Royal Oman Police (ROP), said that the Directorate General of Customs provided Khazaen Dry Port with customs service personnel well-versed in Bayan System. This will help speed up the clearance of cargo, facilitate commercial and economic practice, augment the flow of goods and cut down time and efforts—a practical embodiment of the National Logistic Strategy 2040.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Abri, Chairman of Khazaen Dry Port’s board of directors—who also serves as CEO of Asyad Group’s ports and facilities—said that the 100-sqm dry port will constitute an ideal storage and re-export hub for the region and the world at large.

The dry port boasts a broad range of hi-tech facilities and operates at a capacity of 70,000 containers a year and provides a wide waiting area for general containers in queue for storage, loading and unloading operations, in addition to TEUs, refrigerated containers and handling equipment, said Al Abri.

He added that the board of directors has a clear-cut operations plan in place to raise Khazaen Dry Port’s capacity from 100,000 sqm in the first phase to an additional 150,000 sqm as an expansion in the second phase through the five subsequent years to meet an expected increase in the volume of operations.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Khazaen Dry Port signed two agreements, one with Naqel Express of Saudi Arabia and the other with another firm specialized in land and sea logistics, to promote customs and re-export to local and GCC markets.

Khazaen is considered the largest government-private sector partnership in the Sultanate of Oman. It is situated at 30 minutes from Muscat International Airport and 2 hours from the Port of Sohar.

The facility, which is located in the Wilayat of Barka, comprises outlets for vegetables and fruit, as well as products and services of small and medium enterprises, in addition to multipurpose residential units.

Source: Oman News Agency