MUSCAT, JUNE 3 - Salalah Port announced the arrival yesterday of its first container vessel more than a week after floodwaters unleashed by Cyclone Mekunu inundated the Sultanate’s premier transhipment hub. “We received today (Sunday) our first vessel — a container ship belonging to Maersk — marking the start of limited operations at Salalah,” said Mohammed al Mashani, General Manager — Corporate Affairs.
“We have commenced limited operations at the General Cargo Terminal (GCT) as well. Right now, everyone is working round the clock to get the port back into normal operations, but at the moment we don’t know when that’s going to happen,” the official added in comments to the Observer.
Earlier, in a filing to the Capital Market Authority, port authorities said a torrent of floodwater had deluged the maritime hub on the night of May 24, when Mekunu struck the Dhofar coast. “Nearly two metres of flood water entered the port, which practically submerged most of our equipment and infrastructure, which might require significant refurbishment and repairs to resume normal operations. The port has declared Force Majeure due to the cyclone. The impact assessment is ongoing,” it stated in its filing.
Given the port’s importance as a key staging post for the delivery of emergency rescue and relief aid to areas devastated by the storm, a “round the clock” effort has been under way to clean up the port in preparation for the commencement of limited operations, the company said.
“The port has commenced limited operations in our general cargo terminal by handling a few Omani navy vessels carrying relief cargo, an Orpic vessel carrying fuel supply to the region, and vessels for meeting the urgent needs of local industries,” it further stated.
According to Al Mashani, salvage teams are working to assess risks posed by dhows and other craft that capsized in the harbour when the storm hit Salalah. “Salvage operations haven’t started yet, but will start very soon,” he said.
Conrad Prabhu
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