Oman ports emerge as India's gateway to West Asia, Africa

New Delhi: As the India-Oman CEPA came into force on June 1, the Gulf nation's ports of Sohar, Salalah and Duqm in the Indian Ocean Region are emerging as gateways for Indian exporters and investors to wider markets in West Asia, North Africa and East Africa.

The ports provide logistics support for Indian exporters and investors seeking access to African and broader West Asian markets, a senior Oman government source told ET. Indian businesses can also leverage Oman's FTAs across the region to expand their footprint, the source said.

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Oman's Sohar Port is among the world's fastest-growing port operations, offering a range of value-added services and hosting the country's first terminal dedicated to handling bulk agricultural products, officials said.

Operational since 2004 and located outside the Strait of Hormuz, Sohar Port is a 21-million sq m deep-sea hub comprising three established clusters - logistics, petrochemicals and metals. More recently, it added a food cluster that includes Oman's first terminal dedicated to handling agricultural products.

The port is within two weeks' sailing time of all major global ports, enabling swift access to the rapidly growing markets of the GCC, India and East Africa.

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Oman's Port of Salalah is also being positioned as a hub for exports of agricultural and food products from India to the Gulf. Salalah handles more than 2,500 vessel calls annually and is among the world's fastest-growing port operations, officials said.

An advanced wave-dampening system reduces ship movement in the harbour, enabling high-speed container unloading and access to Oman's new $10-billion road network, which links the port to the expanding GCC market. The port's attractiveness is further enhanced by the adjacent Salalah Free Zone, Al Mazunah Free Zone and Salalah Airport, an Oman government source said.

India also has a strategic presence at Oman's Port of Duqm, which serves as the gateway to the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZD), the largest special economic zone in the Middle East.