Today, on one of the last days of 2009 a celebration took place in the Port of Sohar. Another sign of growth for the port came when vessel number 1000 came to the container terminal operated by Oman International Container Terminal (OICT). This is the first time that the Port of Sohar reaches this number during a year. OICT is owned by Hutchinson Whampoa, the largest container terminal company in the world.

The Industrial Port of Sohar, a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam is managed by Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC (SIPC). The Port of Sohar is ideally located in the Sea of Oman and with easy access from many parts of the world. The first vessel berthed in the Port of Sohar in 2004 when only the General Cargo terminal was operational. Many shipping lines have since chosen the Port of Sohar as their port of call. Port of Sohar is a deep sea port with up to 18 meter draft. Apart from OICT, Steinweg and Oiltanking Odfjell, two other world renowned terminal operators are available and all together they handle all types of cargo.

The container vessel Maersk Windhoek of the worlds largest container line Maersk berthed in the morning on December 30, 2009 at OICT Terminal. The vessel was greeted by HE Khalifa bin Hamid Al Badi the Wali of Liwa together with representatives from SIPC as well as the other terminals.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jan Meijer, the CEO of the Port of Sohar Authority said that he was very proud to stand in front of this vessel that represents the constant growth of the Port of Sohar and that this is really a sign that more and more major shipping lines find their way to Sohar and understand the possibilities of the efficiency of the terminals, the excellent connectivity and the great capacity of the port.