Attracted by the value proposition offered by Freezone Sohar, a number of local, regional and international investors have already set up operations in one of the region’s most promising special economic zones. Several others have signed agreements for the lease of plots within Phase 1 of the development. Its proximity to the deep draft of SOHAR Port, as well as linkages with the region’s modern highways plus air and rail services in the near future, underpins the regional ‘gateway’ philosophy of SOHAR’s strategic appeal. Here’s a sampling of some of the projects in various stages of development and operation at Freezone Sohar:
Al Ma Cabrol LLC When it launched operations early in 2013, Al Ma Cabrol LLC became the first manufacturing facility at Freezone Sohar to formally come on stream. Part of India-based Shah Fabricators Pvt. Ltd., the company operates an engineering fabrication facility that specialises in the construction of factory building sheds, manufacture of steel cable drums, and the fabrication of a host of other such projectrelated structures. An expansive shed spread over an area of 100
4,000 sq metres, as well as an open storage yard of 6,000 sq metres, allows for the company to undertake multiple jobs. SOHAR’s strategic location at the crosswords of sea lanes serving the eastern and western markets makes it ideal for investors looking to tap these huge consumer markets, said Mr. Amit Shah, Director, Al Ma Cabrol LLC, in a statement marking the despatch of its first consignment of steel cable reels for a well-known Omani cable manufacturer. “As a foreign investor, we are glad we decided to go ahead and invest in Freezone Sohar. Along this journey, everyone has met with our expectations: banks, regulatory authorities, contractors, and others. We also welcome the fact that all of the commitments made by the authorities here were fulfilled in time, thereby enabling us to achieve this milestone within a short span of time,” he stated.
Container Solutions LLC Reputed as one of the largest container trading, conversion specialists and container depot operators in the Middle East, Containers Solutions has further strengthened its position in the region with the establishment
of a state of the art depot at Freezone Sohar. Spread over 30,000 sq metres, the facility is equipped to store around 5,000 TEUs of containers and also boasts a repair capacity of 1,500 TEUs per month. Phase 1 of the yard, covering an area of around 12,000 sq metres, has since been brought into operation. It features a covered warehouse of 400 sq metres, a workshop of around 800 sq metres and an open yard for the storage of 2,000 TEUs of containers. As the only facility of its kind in north Oman, this yard is ideally suited for the storage, repair and handling of empties for shipping lines and leasing companies. Besides trading in all types and sizes of new and used containers, Container Solutions also specializes in container conversions into, for example, enclosures that are suitable for onshore and offshore use as tool rooms, mobile workshops, generator enclosures, water treatment enclosures, electrical panel enclosures, accommodation units, and so on. The company also had depots in the UAE and Qatar.
the art ferrochrome smelter of a capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) comprising two furnaces of 16500 kva each. Established in 2005, Gulf Mining Materials Co (GMM) is a 100 per cent Omani company owned by prominent businessman Abdulla Ahmad Sulaiman al Hadi and his children. GMM has since evolved into the largest chrome ore mining and exporting company in Oman. The company predominantly mines, extracts and processes chrome, marble and laterite along with other materials. Besides mining chrome ore, GMM has set up the first-ever chrome beneficiation (up-gradation) plant in the Wilayat of Samayil with a monthly processing capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes (MT). The plant offers chrome ore concentrates of more than 38 per cent purity. Gulf Mining will also be looking to double the capacity of its smelter to between 110,000 – 120,000 mtpa tentatively by the year 2015. Opportunities for value addition through the manufacture of ferroalloys will be explored as well.
Gulf Mining Minerals Co
Metkore Alloys Overseas LLC (FZC)
Gulf Mining Minerals Co (GMM) is investing in a state of
Metkore Alloys Overseas LLC, a joint venture of Takamul
Investment Company (51 per cent) of Oman and India’s Metkore Alloys and Industries Ltd (49 per cent), is developing a 108 MVA chrome smelter at Freezone Sohar. An agreement covering the lease of a 22-hectare plot was signed with SOHAR Port and Freezone in June 2012. The facility will have a capacity of around 165,000 tonnes per annum. Chrome ore for the project will be primarily mined locally and beneficiated before being blended with small amounts of high grade imported ore as feedstock. Metkore, formerly known as Cronimet Alloys India, is a leading player in India’s ferroalloy industry. The group currently operates a pair of ferroalloy plants of capacities 15 MVA and 28 MVA in India. Takamul, which acquired a 51 per cent stake in the company last August, is the downstream investment subsidiary of Oman Oil Company SAOC, the government-owned energy and strategic investment vehicle.
Oman Fasteners A tenancy agreement signed last December has paved the way for the transfer of the operations of Oman Fasteners from its current location in the United Arab Emirates to Freezone Sohar.
The move home is a result of more favourable business conditions in the Sultanate, especially better tax incentives and lower electricity prices in SOHAR, which will allow the company to become more competitive regionally and globally. Oman Fasteners will also benefit from an existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, which will further contribute to the ongoing sustainability of the organisation. This latest SOHAR-based project will support the local community through the creation of jobs, due to the company’s significant labour requirements, and will add additional impetus to Oman’s booming and increasingly diversified economy.
Harsco Minerals Harsco Minerals Arabia LLC, part the diversified global industrial company Harsco Corporation, signed a tenancy agreement governing the lease of a plot within SOHAR’s fast expanding free zone. Representing the company at the signing was Mr. Mauro Curi of Harsco Minerals Arabia LLC. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SOHAR Port and Freezone, H.E. Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning, presided over the event, which took place recently (February 2014). Headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA, Harsco’s worldwide operations serve industries fundamental to
global economic progress and infrastructure development. Its three divisions – Harsco Metals & Minerals, Harsco Rail and Harsco Industrial – work alongside customers in steel mills, railroads, major industrial plants and natural gas fields. The core of Harsco project in Sohar is to take by-products from steelmaking industries in Sohar Port and Freezone and the region and process them to produce valuable environmentally friendly raw materials for other industries. Harsco does this globally in 37 countries and over 160 sites and has more than 80 years of experience as the industry leader. Their offering is an environmental solution to industrial by-products. 101