Muscat - The Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT) has issued 133 licenses to marine tourism companies in the first eight months of this year.
Eight companies manage and operate tourist jetties across the governorates of Musandam, South al Batinah, Muscat, and Dhofar.
In Muscat Governorate, there are 5 tourist piers - Muscat Bay, Jebel Sifah, Barr al Jissah Resort and Al Mouj Muscat Company, and Marina Bandar al Rowdha.
In Musandam Governorate, the pier is handled by Al Marsa Travel and Tourism Company, at Hawana Salalah by Muriya Tourism Development Company, at Barcelo Musannah in South al Batinah Governorate. These berths handled more than 800,000 passengers from 450 yachts and 4,700 pleasure boats.
MTCIT has concluded concession agreements with international companies that have extensive experience in managing, operating, and developing these ports, in addition to granting licenses for the establishment, management, and operation of marine platforms outside the ports.
These companies operate sea tourism trips, rent boats, yachts, and floating tourist facilities, and rent marine entertainment units, in addition to operating diving trips.
Five licenses were issued to manage and operate commercial docks from the beginning of January until the end of October of this year in the South Al Sharqiyah Governorate and the Musandam Governorate.
He stressed that these licenses come within the efforts of MTCIT to regulate the ports and marine docks sector, raise their quality and align them with maritime safety requirements, support the ports and maritime transport sector and the logistics system, and enrich the tourism, commercial and industrial sectors in the Sultanate of Oman.
The Director General of Ports confirmed that the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology is working on several investment opportunities in the ports sector, the most important of which is establishing centers for recycling and cutting ships using modern green technologies.
New projects
The Ministry is currently conducting an economic feasibility study for establishing centers for recycling and cutting ships using modern green technologies. It is also working on managing, operating, and developing the Shannah and Masirah ports by launching a public tender.
The construction of tourist facilities at Shannah port has been completed, and a tender for consulting works for the Shannah and Masirah ports has been launched, to be included as points of attraction in the tender document when the two ports are offered for investment.
Work is also underway on a berth for yachts in the Wilayat of Quriyat, as a plot of land has been allocated in the Daghmar area in the Wilayat of Quriyat and will be offered for investment in a public tender.
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