Ship chandlers & ship supply at Salalah OMSLL

The Port of Salalah runs two terminals. The container terminal has 6 berths on a 2,197 m quay with up to 18 m draft, a stated capacity of 6 million TEU a year and more than 1,500 reefer plugs; the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index ranked it the world’s second most efficient port in 2021, 2022 and 2023.^[1]

—The general cargo terminal has 13 berths on about 3,000 m of quay with drafts from 6.8 m to 18 m, takes dry bulk carriers up to 200,000 tonnes, and also handles break bulk and dhow traffic.^[2]

—Liquids move over two dedicated 18 m berths totalling 666 m, with a 120,000-tonne tank farm and a 4.5 km pipe corridor to the Salalah Free Zone — fuel, methanol, LPG, MEG, vegetable oil and petroleum products.^[3]

—Volumes (port statistics): 4,324,549 TEU in 2025, up from 3,304,735 in 2024; general cargo 26.3 million freight tonnes in 2025, of which 21.3 million dry bulk.^[5]

Salalah’s Arabian Sea position lets ships reach it without passing Hormuz or Bab el-Mandeb. In the 2026 Gulf crisis that made it the region’s main rerouting hub: vessel diversions to Salalah rose sharply from March, with cargo discharged there and moved on by feeder or land, and Qatar named Omani ports as alternatives to Hamad.^[10,11,12]

—The port itself was hit: drones struck Salalah in March 2026, setting fuel tanks alight and suspending operations, including the general cargo terminal; Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk resumed calls gradually by 31 March.^[10,11,12]

—Mainline services are still being added: Maersk put Salalah into the Gemini AE15 Asia–Europe rotation, first eastbound call on 24 September 2026.^[13]

—The south-west monsoon sets the calendar. The port gives its tidal range as 1.0–2.0 m, with waves up to 4.0 m from June to August; the anchorage closes from early June through September and bunkering then moves to vessels at berth during cargo operations.^[4,8]

—Bunkering is run by Fujairah Engineering Co. (FECO) in partnership with the port: LSMGO and VLSFO by the 3,420 dwt delivery vessel Sea Dweller at berth and at anchor, gasoil by truck to berths, from 100,000 tonnes of fuel storage. Anchorage deliveries restart when the port lifts the monsoon restriction — in 2022 that was 26 September.^[7,9]

—An agent to file the call and follow the port’s customer advisories — 2026 notices include mandatory pre-approval of dangerous goods for vessels calling Salalah (26 March), a crew-change transport service (13 February) and dry-bulk berth congestion (11 January).^[6]

—Pilotage: pilots board from launch or tug; the entrance lies between the East Breakwater and the container terminal.^[4]

—Bunkers planned around the season: at anchor outside the monsoon, at berth during cargo work from June to September. Nominate with FECO through your agent.^[7,8]

—Provisions, stores and fresh water for a short transhipment call: post a requirement and chandlers serving Salalah answer with sealed bids before the ship berths — suppliers never see the vessel’s name until award. If you supply ships in Salalah, be the first supplier in.