Sunday 15 / February / 2026
Sohar: SOHAR Port and Freezone concluded the Rubban Hackathon, a national initiative for innovation aligned with the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
The hackathon focused on developing practical technological solutions linked to the operational needs of the port and logistics services ecosystem, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, support digital transformation, and empower national competencies to deliver solutions with practical impact and sustainable value.
The closing ceremony was held under the patronage of Muneer Ali Al Muneeri, Deputy Chairman of Oman Investment Authority for Operations.
The Rubban Hackathon attracted over 900 participation applications from various parts of the Sultanate of Oman, following which 60 participants were selected through a systematic nomination process, forming 11 multidisciplinary teams. Over an intensive 48-hour challenge, the teams worked on developing solutions addressing real operational challenges within the SOHAR Port and Freezone ecosystem, supported and supervised by a committee of specialised mentors who accompanied the teams throughout the hackathon, contributing to guiding ideas and refining the proposed solutions.
The hackathon focused on several main themes, including enhancing operational efficiency, improving supply chains and logistics services, sustainability, energy, and developing port and freezone services. All challenges were designed based on actual operational priorities, ensuring the realism of the proposed solutions and their applicability and scalability.
The participating teams presented their final pitches to a judging panel comprising an elite group of experts and specialists. The evaluation focused on criteria of innovation, applicability, scalability, and the extent to which the solutions aligned with operational requirements. This resulted in the announcement of the three winning teams, who presented solutions reflecting the quality of outputs and the participants' ability to transform technological ideas into practical solutions with operational impact.
