Today, on January 17, two licenses for the establishment of world class bunker operations in the Port of Sohar were signed in Muscat, Oman. HE Maqbool Ali Sultan, Minister ofCommerce and Industry and Chairman of Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC (SIPC) together with the CEO Jan Meijer, signed for SIPC with Shell Oman Marketing / Shell Marine Products and with the upcoming joint venture between Oman Oil Marketing Company (Oman Oil) and Matrix Marine Holding GmbH (Matrix Marine).

The Port of Sohar consists of an increasing number of industries as well as modern expanding terminals. It has developed from a port under construction into a fully operational port. The management of the port feels it is important that the development of the services offered keeps abreast of the rapidly increasing number of ships calling the port. As the port authority and landlord of the Port of Sohar, SIPC stimulates additional services to facilitate these already imminent developments. Taking the requirements of vessels into account, it was only natural that, next to the existing services, the introduction of marine bunker fuels was considered.

Mr. Jan Meijer, CEO of SIPC said “with the increase of vessels calling the port and with the growing focus on the Port of Sohar, we are very pleased to sign new important agreements that show our strengths and our progress” and that we have such important global organizations like Shell Marine Products and Matrix Marine with their local partners directly involved.

The Port of Sohar announced today that from Mid June 2010, Shell and Matrix/Oman Oil Marketing Company will offer Marine Fuels of different grades to vessels calling the port itself or calling at the extended anchorage area which is so close to the international shipping route to and from Strait of Hormuz.

For further information with the companies involved please contact;