Logistics Middle East – August 2019

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http://www.logisticsmiddleeast.com LOGISTICS MIDDLE EAST | AUGUST 2019 31

SOHAR NAVIGATE

Dimitri Van Eekelen, the commercial manager at SOHAR

Port and Freezone, gave a presentation on SOHAR Navi-

gate, the new app developed by SOHAR Port & Freezone

to make shipping and logistics at the port more efficient

and convenient.

SOHAR Port & Freezone is a 50:50 joint venture with the

por t of Rot terda m. It wa s launched in 2004 a nd in 2010 t he

f reezone wa s added. The por t it self is 2,000 hecta res, wh ile

the freezone is 4,500, with a phase two expansion currently

underway. While the airport isn’t being used for cargo yet,

Van Eekelen told delegates that it will be in time. “In due

time this will actually become one large industrial cluster

including a large port, a large free zone, well-functioning

airport and a direct road link into Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“With our location just outside the Strait of Hormuz, we

offer a cheaper and faster solution for shippers and are well-

connected to the various large consumer areas in the region.”

SOHAR Port & Freezone is actually being expanded by

about 50% in the next several years. More than 250 hec-

tares of land is being reclaimed with the first 50 hectares

already sold out and the additional land to be partly used by

Total, who will build an LNG liquefaction plant and an LNG

bunkering facility. “This is very important for the future of

SOHAR given the increasing use of LNG as a ship fuel,” says

Van Eekelen. “It will attract a different kind of customer that

is look ing for more eco-f riendly ways of shipping.” SOH A R

is already in talks with CMA CGM, which has just ordered

nine new LNG powered container ships.

“Next to the Total plant we’re developing 100 hectares of

land opposite to the container terminal, which was initially

intended to expand the container terminal but has proven

not to be suitable for a fully automated operation so we’re

now redeveloping a 2 km key wall and also that has a lot of

interest from companies to invest there.” SOHAR Port is also

adding what it calls SOHAR North, roughly 800 hectares of

port area including a new basin, a new container terminal,

a new general terminal and a new robot terminal. That

will happen in the next 5 to 7 years. “Once all these three

projects are completed we’ve expanded in size roughly 50

percent,” says Van Eekelen.

So how does SOHAR Navigate fit in? SOHAR Navigate

is an online platform that allows you to compare different

shipping companies. It enables shippers and forwarders

in the GCC, China, India, Pakistan and so on to find the

most efficient ways to get a container from their origin to

SOHAR or vice-versa. “It’s comparable to Skyscanner where

you go online and you book your f lights, you simply select

the f light that suits you best and you choose and pay,” says

Van Eekelen. “This currently isn’t available anywhere else

in the market.”

SOHAR Navigate is an attempt to get more transparency

in the supply chain then. “It allows you to compare the dif-

ferent shipping lines in terms of transit time and CO2. We

intend to expand that further but it also shows the on time

performance of certain shipping lines. And we intend to

make it also a booking tool so you can go online, compare,

find and even book that container straight away through

one single platform.”