Oman’s Port of Salalah marked another milestone in its ongoing initiative to promote Oman as a logistics hub for the region with the successful commissioning of a state-of-the-art agricultural bulk terminal, said a report.

The facility is being developed by Arabian Sea Port Services, which is a joint venture between the Spanish conglomerate Algeposa Group, Oasis Development Co, and Al Thabat Holding, added the Times of Oman report.

The Algeposa Group is one of the leading multimodal logistics operators in Spain, specialising in the handling of bulk grains, fertilisers, steel products, and forest products, among others. With an annual turnover of more than $200 million, it has a presence in most Spanish ports and rail terminals, and continues to expand globally, it said.

The company is committed to developing bulk grain logistics in Oman and offering an integrated management service dedicated to the import and export of agri-bulk commodities such as wheat, corn, soybean, sugar, and rice, as well as general cargo.

The recently-commissioned first phase of the project consists of a 25,000-sq-m facility with the capacity to store 60,000 tonnes of bulk grains.

The facility also features equipment capable of handling 15,000MT of grains per day, and provides value added services such as quality control, pest control, and bagging services, among others.

The second phase, which is already being planned, is expected to double the capacity of the facility, enabling it to handle up to 500,000MT per annum, added the report.