Al Mazyona Free Zone receives its first shipment from Ningbo Port in China

Muscat: Al Mazyona Free Zone received the first containerised shipment arriving directly from the port of Ningbo in China.

The shipment was received in coordination with the Port of Salalah through Arabian Silk Line Trading and Marine Services company.

The Port of Salalah, a major Arab Gulf regional gateway port and transhipment hub on the Arabian Sea, partnered with Maersk to launch a new multimodal transport solution to the Al Mazyona free zone as part of their regional strategy.

Designed to facilitate inland services, the new offering extends beyond the port and includes securing customs clearances and bonded trucking services to Salalah and Al Mazyona free zones hubs under carrier haulage. The new service reduces lead time and allows access to multiple markets. It also aims to support the growth of SMEs in Oman and Yemen and attract new investors which are also aligned with the Oman 2040 vision.

The Port of Salalah and Maersk have just completed the first trial shipment from China delivered to Mazyona FZ. The subject shipment was loaded in the Chinese port of Ningbo and arrived in Mazyouna with a total transit time of 25 days.

This makes Salalah the best choice for Yemen gateway, a major share of which otherwise was discharged in neighbouring ports and routed across the border through Oman. This new corridor will help Yemeni importers to save costs and transit time. Maersk has confirmed its commitment to creating the required capacity, connectivity and contracts to scale this up, thereby also benefitting the local companies in Oman.

“We are excited to be expanding our inland service capabilities to help support customers beyond the Port as a part of our commercial efforts focused on growing our gateway volume, of which Yemen plays an important role. We are thankful to the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology, ROP customs and Asyad for their support in making this happen,” said Keld M Christensen, CEO of Port of Salalah.

Port of Salalah acts as a facilitator in anchoring Salalah as a gateway to Yemen and the current initiative, in partnership with Maersk, ensures seamless cargo movement where the customer gets single window service till the final delivery location. This will not only ensure increased efficiency to the customer but also has the potential to eliminate unexpected costs, including line demurrage and port storage as an example.

Christopher Cook, Managing Director at Maersk UAE, Oman and Qatar, commented, “Our ambition is to serve our customers with end-to-end, integrated solutions which will simplify their supply chains. Our joint efforts with Port of Salalah aim to achieve this, and we look forward to unlocking new value for our customers across the Middle East and North Africa region.”

As one of the world's most efficient transhipment ports, the new offering is well-positioned to offer a range of customers a consolidated, digital, streamlined service. Salalah delivers world-class terminal capabilities, including containers and liquid and dry bulk handling.

The Port of Salalah currently serves large volumes of multiple commodities through Al Mazyona free zone.