Oman's ferry passenger traffic rises 12.5%

Muscat: A growth of 12.5 per cent in passenger traffic and 4 per cent in the number of vehicles transported on board NFC ferries was recorded, according to the data released by the National Ferries Company (NFC) .
The jump was registered at the end of the third quarter of 2016, compared with the same period last year.
Nabhan bin Mohammed Al Nabhani, Media and Public Relations manager at NFC said 165,882 passengers were transported during the first nine months of 2016, compared with 147,380 passengers during the same period last year; reflecting a growth of 12.55 per cent.
The company also transported 39,667 vehicles as of the end of September 2016, compared with 38,155 vehicles during the same period last year; showing a growth by 4 per cent.
The National Ferries Company also transported 12,741 tonnes of goods as of the end of September 2016, compared with 4,564 tonnes during the same period last year.
He added that the turnout by passengers, especially on the Omani side, on the recently launched route to Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas, is also growing.
The occupancy level to Qeshm, which is 25 per cent as of now, is expected to grow once the vehicle transport service is launched this year.