Port of Salalah and the shift of consolidated cargo from Jebel Ali: who a Salalah warehouse suits, and what to compare before you move

Salalah Port Services Company reported unaudited results for the first nine months of 2026 (Oman Observer, 12 November): container throughput rose 18% to 3.8 million TEUs from 3.2 million, and general cargo rose 6% to 21 million tonnes from 19.8 million, mostly dry bulk. The company attributes the growth to the terminal's expanded capacity and to volumes from the upper Gulf and the UAE.

What matters to a distribution business

In the chairman's report to shareholders, the company expects container freight station (CFS) cargo serving Yemen and East Africa to shift from Jebel Ali to Salalah, adding volume and further straining capacity. It also expects container demand to stay strong into the fourth quarter. On the other hand, the company has been told the government will not extend its concession beyond its expiry on 1 November 2028, and the new concessionaire has not been announced.

If you choose Salalah Free Zone

The Special Economic Zones and Free Zones Law 38/2025 exempts from customs duty the inputs a project needs when they enter the zone (Article 28) and exports to outside Oman (Article 29). Goods leaving the zone for the rest of Oman are governed by the zone's customs system (Article 19). So a company re-exporting to Yemen and East Africa runs different numbers from one selling into the Omani market.

What to compare before you move: transit time and sailing frequency to your destination ports, handling and storage costs, warehouse rent, and the company form (free zone or mainland). Our reading: management's expectation is a signal, not a decision. Get written quotes from lines and operators in Salalah, compare them line by line with your current costs, and factor in the concession expiry date before you sign long contracts.

Source: Oman Observer: Port of Salalah container volumes rise 18% in nine months — 2026-11-12 · المرسوم السلطاني 38/2025 بإصدار قانون المناطق الاقتصادية الخاصة والمناطق الحرة (المواد 19 و28 و29)، النص على قانون — 2025-04-13