Oman is “almost back to normal” less than a day after Cyclone Shaheen hit the country, temporarily disrupting LNG and crude oil loadings, Oil Minister Mohammed al-Rumhi told S&P Global Platts on Oct. 4. Sohar port also resumed marine operations.
Torrential rain and strong winds eased as the cyclone was downgraded to a tropical depression, heading for the UAE. At the Fujairah Oil Terminal, the largest independent storage terminal at the Port of Fujairah just north of Oman, “it’s business as usual, for now at least,” said Dave Noakes, senior managing director at Prostar Capital, which owns 40% of Fujairah Oil Terminal. “A bit of sea swell but not large enough to stop operating.”
One bunker trader at the port said he hasn’t been able to provide bunkering operations at Fujairah since Oct. 2. He said he has two ships waiting for bunkering, and expects to resume filling orders within a day.
Oman is the Middle East’s largest crude oil producer outside of OPEC, and one of the few LNG exporters in the region along with Qatar. It pumped 760,000 b/d in August, according to S&P Global Platts, while Oman LNG has total nameplate capacity of 10.4 million mt/year, according to its website.
Sohar Port and Freezone resumed marine operations on Oct. 4 after closing as a precaution the day before. There have been no reports of infrastructural damage or injuries, CEO Mark Geilenkirchen said in a statement. Port officials and “concerned authorities will continue to be on the ground to monitor the tropical depression as downgraded by the Civil Aviation Authority,” he said.
Source: Platts