Oman plans to launch a high-speed ferry service between Khasab and Muscat soon, a report said.

According to the Gulf News report, the Omani government has assured that the service will start before May 1. These vessels will have the capacity to carry cars.

Due to its geographical position, the Musandam region of Oman is isolated from the rest of the sultanate, separated by the UAE. Thus, every resident has to travel through the UAE to come to Muscat or any other part of the sultanate by road.

An expatriate travelling from this region to other parts of Oman has to procure a UAE visa and this has proved to be very cumbersome, especially for low-wage earners.

The long nine to ten hour drive from Khasab to Muscat will also cut to around three hours once the ferry service is introduced, said the report.