MUSCAT, NOV 12
Container throughput at the Port of Salalah rose 18 per cent to 3.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first nine months of 2026, while general cargo volumes grew 6 per cent to 21 million tonnes, operator Salalah Port Services Company said.
The Container Terminal handled 3.2 million TEUs in the same period of 2025. The company attributed the increase mainly to enhanced capacity following the terminal’s upgrade and to volumes from the upper Gulf and the UAE, according to its unaudited consolidated results for the period ended September 30.
The General Cargo Terminal handled 21 million tonnes, compared with 19.8 million tonnes a year earlier, with the rise mainly attributed to dry bulk throughput.
Consolidated net profit rose to RO 5 million from RO 4.7 million in the corresponding period of 2025. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined to RO 19.2 million from RO 20.3 million.
Revenue from operations increased 20 per cent, driven mainly by the added container handling capacity and the upper Gulf and UAE volumes, alongside growth in dry bulk at the General Cargo Terminal. Expenses rose 21 per cent, mainly because of costs associated with damage to port equipment and facilities, the company said.
Demand for capacity at the Container Terminal is expected to remain strong well into the fourth quarter, Chairman Braik Musallam al Amri said in his report to shareholders, dated November 9.
Dry bulk volumes, particularly limestone and gypsum, are also expected to remain strong, while break bulk growth will be supported by higher export demand from Salalah Mills and Raysut Cement, he said.
A shift in container freight station (CFS) cargo flows from Jebel Ali to Salalah, serving Yemen and East Africa, is expected to drive further volume growth while placing additional pressure on capacity. Increased bunkering activity is expected to sustain growth in the liquid cargo business.
The results follow the company’s that the government, represented by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, will not extend its concessions beyond their contractual expiry on November 1, 2028.
The company said it has not been informed of the new concessionaire or concessionaires, but will begin preparing for the transfer of operations and coordinate closely with the ministry and other authorities to ensure a smooth transition. The board and management confirmed the company “will continue to operate at its best” until the concession ends.
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