SOHAR Marks Opening of New Refinery
SOHAR Port and Freezone, together with Oman Sugar Refinery Company LLC (OSRC), has held a groundbreaking ceremony to open a new refinery at the port.
The event was conducted under the auspices of HE Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Trade and Industry. Also in attendance were other dignitaries from the public and private sectors.
The sugar refinery will be a world class, state of the art, modern facility and will utilise the latest production technology to produce the highest quality of refined sugar from imported raw sugar, with equipment sourced from Europe.
The refinery will be constructed in two phases, producing one million tonnes of refined sugar per annum. Being the first sugar refinery to be established in the Sultanate, it will seek to create employment for Omani citizens, diversify the economy of the country, create several downstream opportunities and play a vital role in enhancing the food security in the Sultanate.
Commenting on the event, Mark Geilenkirchen, CEO of SOHAR Port said: “Over the course of 2017, our focus was set on developing the food sector at the port.
“Through our endeavours we were able to attract significant public and private sector investments to the aggro cluster.
“This has subsequently enabled us to seize a substantial segment of the food products cargo trade in the region.
“The signing and development of the sugar refinery, alongside the ongoing SOHAR Port South expansion, will enable us to attract significantly more business to the Port in the coming years.”
Nasser Al Hosni, Managing Director of Oman Sugar Refinery Company LLC said: "The sugar refinery will be the first of its kind in the Sultanate.
“Through its establishment, we seek to play our role in creating employment opportunities for Omani citizens and in diversifying the national economy.
“Additionally, we are extremely grateful to SOHAR Port for their support and collaboration in the setting up of this notable milestone.
“The refinery will also create several downstream opportunities for other tenants at the Port and Freezone, whilst also enhancing food security in the country.”
