The quantity of cargo unloaded and loaded at Mina Sultan Qaboos and Salalah ports reached 4.283,9 million tonnes in the first ten months of 2006, compared to 2.539,9 million tonnes in the corresponding period in 2005, surging 68.7 per cent.

A bulletin released by the Ministry of National Economy attributed the overall increase in the quantity of goods handled at the two ports to the rise in loaded and unloaded goods at Mina Sultan Qaboos by 5.9 per cent to 2.576,1 million by the end of Oct last year, as against 2.431,9 million tonnes during the same period in 2005.

Goods handled at Salalah port rose in terms of quantity by 1481.3 per cent as at the end of October last year to 1.707,8 million tonnes, compared with 108,000 tonnes during the same period in 2005.

Foodstuff items, building and construction materials and vehicles were among the most important cargo handled at the two ports.

The bulletin noted that a total of 2026 ships called at the two ports during the first ten months last year, a drop of 2 per cent from a total of 2067 vessels in the same period in 2005.

The number of vessels which anchored at Salalah port rose by 21.9 per cent to 606 ships by the end of October last year, compared to 497 ships during same period in 2005, while the number of vessels anchored at Mina Sultan Qaboos fell by 9.6 per cent to 1420 ships during same period last year, compared to 1570 ships during same period in 2005.