Work on a new container terminal at the industrial port of Sohar was launched here yesterday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Harthy.

James F. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company in his speech reviewed phases of the project.

He noted the role played by the company to raise the Omanisation ratio, where 72 Omani employees have undergone an extensive three-month training course programme at the company's headquarters in Hong Kong.

Jean-Maiere, the CEO of the Sohar Industrial Port, gave a speech in which he stressed the significance of the course and the role of the Omani International Containers Terminal Company in accomplishing the project, citing the Hetchson Group as the biggest independent firm managing container terminals worldwide.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Harthy, the Transport and Communications Minister, said the company will use all its potential to boost the Omani economy, particularly in the Batinah region.

The Sultanate owns 22% of the Omani International Containers Terminal Company's capital.

Construction of the terminal will be in three phases.

During phase (1) known as Al Raseef, the structure will be built on 260sqm to handle 600,000 standard containers. In phase two, the number of standard containers to be handled will increase to 1.5 million, while 3.5 million standard containers will be handled in phase three.

The Omani international containers terminal company is a joint venture, with the Hetchon holding Group owning a 65% stake, the Sultanate government 22%, the Schtefeng Dutch company 7.5%, the Royal Office Pension Fund 2.5%, Al Maasa Shipping services 1.75% and Dolphin International 1.25%.