Muscat: Engineer Abdulbaqi bin Ahmed Al Kindi, CEO of QS Maritime, confirmed that the project will be awarded to a company specializing in maritime and port development. The first phase will focus on expanding the existing basin southward and constructing a new northern breakwater, enabling the port to handle larger vessels and increase its operational capacity.

To accommodate upcoming strategic projects, the port’s area has been expanded to approximately 1.8 million square meters. Planned developments include fuel storage tanks, factories, and warehouses aimed at supporting both re-export activities and domestic markets.

In a notable step towards international connectivity, a new maritime passenger route linking Shinas Port with Bandar Abbas Port in Iran is set to launch in the last quarter of 2025. Two weekly ferry trips, each carrying up to 200 passengers and their vehicles, will be operated by a dedicated investor. The passenger terminal is fully equipped, with final security checks nearing completion.

The port has already recorded impressive growth in early 2025. The number of ships docking at Shinas rose to 306 in Q1—up from 119 in the same period last year. Livestock imports and exports jumped to 25,944, a significant rise from 9,057 a year earlier.

Cargo handling also saw a sharp uptick, with over 186,000 tons of goods processed—surpassing the port’s cumulative total from the past two years. This included construction materials, foodstuffs, general cargo, and livestock. Transshipment operations reached 42 in the first quarter alone, moving over 173,000 tons, including 40 liquid cargo and two fueling operations.