UAE · Gulf logistics
What Salalah changed on land and at the quay for its container expansion
APM Terminals put the expansion of Oman’s Port of Salalah at US$300 million. Its February 2025 milestone release describes work on all six berths, new cranes and additional yard capacity to support larger ships and new network services.
Sources checked
- February 2024First ship-to-shore cranes arrive
4 of 10 delivered Source 1
- June 2024Final ship-to-shore delivery reported
Last 4 arrive, with 4 older units being retired Source 2
- October 2024First hybrid yard cranes roll into service
4 of 12 planned units Source 3
- February 2025Expansion milestone announced
Capacity increased from 4.5 million to 6.5 million TEU Source 4
- February 2025Quay and yard package described
6 existing berths upgraded, with 2,000 additional reefer plugs Source 4
The timeline distinguishes equipment arriving during construction from the later capacity announcement.
Six existing berths were upgraded
The US$300 million programme upgraded all six existing container berths and expanded the yard. APM says the ten new ship-to-shore cranes could handle vessels 26 containers across. That capability describes the vessel width cranes can reach, while the number of berths describes how many quay positions the programme addressed. Source 4
Ten new cranes translated into six net additions
The 2024 construction update says four smaller quay cranes were retired. The ten arrivals thus represented six net additions, taking the expected inventory from 21 to 27. It also identifies twelve hybrid yard cranes, which lift and stack containers after the quay cranes transfer them from the ship. Source 2 Source 3
Yard expansion included more than stacking space
The milestone release identifies a new access road, power substation and network upgrade, plus 2,000 additional reefer connections. These serve different operations. The road provides land access, while a reefer connection keeps a refrigerated container powered while it waits in the terminal. Source 4
The operator revised its capacity account during construction
Some 2024 updates described a change from 5 million to 6 million TEU. The February 2025 milestone instead reports a move from 4.5 million to 6.5 million. The timeline uses the later pair together as the operator’s updated capacity statement. Neither pair measures annual container volumes actually handled. Source 1 Source 2 Source 4