By Kabeer Yousuf — MUSCAT: April 29 - Oman’s logistics sector is on an upward growth mode and is poised to grow by 7 per cent given the present momentum of growth is maintained, according to the experts who attended the workshop on ‘Logistics in Oman — A Collaborative Approach’ organised by the Omani French Friendship Association (OFA), in collaboration with French Embassy in Muscat. The global shipping industry is going through a lot of collaborations in the present economic scenario and if the sector can weather the storm posed by the oil price crunch, logistics sector will be the next promising area for many a countries that diversify their national income sources, experts opined.
“Once the logistics sector has stood the test of time in the face of economic fluctuations and with the CMA-CGM the French company which has taken the lead with Oman and Port of Sohar as the key game changers at the helm, logistics will grow at 7 per cent in the coming years”, a panellist said.
The bilateral trade relations between Oman and France has touched $550 million and is still growing with earnest efforts from both sides to augment the figures in place.
Additionally, Oman welcomed the highest number of French tourists early this year with an increase of 158 per cent in bookings from France to Oman in comparison to last year, according to the French Tour-Operators (SETO), which said that Oman’s tourism outreach in France has outpaced all other Arab countries as a result of sustained marketing campaigns run by its tourism office in France.
The workshop, focused around trends in logistics in a global and local perspective, also presented an opportunity for participants to understand the advantages of a collaborative approach towards logistics in Oman.
Roland Dubertrand, France’s Ambassador to Oman addressed the gathering while Aju Abraham Thomas, General Manager for Wilhelmsen Towell Co LLC Oman; Sanjeev Madavi, Vice-President — Supply Chain Management at Bahwan Cybertek LLC; and Pascal Aroule, Director of Rio Tinto Sohar Logistics LLC delved into various aspects of collaboration in logistics sector in various dimensions.
OFA is a non-profit organisation registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Association is established with the core objective of developing trade, culture and economic ties by organising various events and activities that address current topics, trends and concerns.
To ensure success and long-term sustainability of the Association, OFA targets at offering memberships to locally present French and Omani corporates, small and medium enterprises, non-governmental organisations, individuals and students with a common interest in the objectives of the Association”, Marine Audras, Sectorial and Commercial Attache said.
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