Oman's Top 5 Ports Handle Over 93.2m Tonnes of Cargo in 2023: A 1.5% Annual Increase and Record-Breaking Cruise Ship Passengers
In 2023, Oman's top five ports handled a total of 93.2 million tonnes of cargo, marking a 1.5% annual increase from the 91.8 million tonnes handled in 2022.
The ports of Sultan Qaboos, Salalah, Sohar, Khasab, and Shinas, as well as A’Suwaiq, saw an increase in the number of berthed ships, with approximately 11,005 vessels in 2023 compared to 10,553 in 2022, representing a 4.3% rise.
General, liquid, and bulk cargo were the primary types of cargo handled.
Additionally, there was a significant increase in cruise ship passengers at the Sultan Qaboos, Salalah, and Khasab Ports.
The text reports on Oman's success in attracting more cruise ships and passengers to its terminals, with a record-breaking 599,000 travelers in 2023, up from 205,000 in 2022.
This growth is due to the government's collaborative efforts with tourism partners to bring major cruise ship operators to Salalah, Khasab, and Sultan Qaboos Port.
Additionally, Oman's improved credit rating is attributed to the government's efforts to control spending, reduce debt, increase non-oil revenues, and enhance financial indicators.
Oman's credit rating was upgraded from "BB" with a stable outlook to "BB+" with a positive outlook by Standard & Poor's.
This improvement reflects the government's efforts to manage spending, boost revenues, and decrease public debts, particularly high-interest ones, according to Mohammed Abu Bakr Al-Ghassani, the chairman of the Oman Development Bank's board of directors.