One-hundredth Very Large Ore Carrier berths in SOHAR
This week, SOHAR greeted the one-hundredth Very Large Ore Carrier, or VLOC, to berth at the Port since Vale in Oman’s operations started in 2011. Weighing in at 388,000dwt and measuring 366 metres in length, more than the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the MV Berge Everest is part of a large fleet of specialised ships that transport iron ore around the globe for the Brazilian mining giant. SOHAR Port is part of a small network of deep-water facilities worldwide, equipped to handle this type of vessel. Other ports in the network outside Vale’s native Brazil, include SOHAR JV-partner Port of Rotterdam, as well as selected ports in Japan, Korea and China, and specially constructed floating jetties in the Philippines.
Officials from SOHAR Port and Freezone, as well as executives from Vale in Oman, were waiting at the SOHAR bulk terminal on Monday to greet the Berge Everest. The brief ceremony celebrated the ship’s safe arrival in SOHAR and the industrial success story of Vale in Oman. Officials highlighted the positive environmental impact of VLOCs as a critical factor: a fully laden VLOC emits around 35% less CO2 than if smaller, traditional ore carriers were used.
International experts confirmed the world-class standards at the terminal in SOHAR, when Vale in Oman won the prestigious International Bulk Journal’s Award for the Best Dry Bulk Terminal at a ceremony in Antwerp, Belgium, recently. In large part thanks to its prime location just outside the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a draft of up to 25 metres, SOHAR has become one of the world’s fastest growing Port and Freezone developments with investments today totalling US$ 25 billion.
