Ship chandlers & ship supply at Sohar OMSOH

SOHAR Port and Freezone sits on Oman’s northern coast and covers 6,720 hectares of port and free zone together; the port states a throughput of around 75 million tonnes a year, container capacity of 2.46 million TEU and more than 3,000 vessel calls annually.^[1]

—The port’s own statistics for 2025: 3,430 vessel calls and 72.3 million freight tonnes — 37.1 million dry bulk, 22.4 million liquid bulk, 8.2 million in containers (845,622 TEU), 1.6 million break bulk — plus 2.9 million tonnes counted as anchorage services.^[2]

—The deepest berth is Vale’s iron-ore terminal, built for bulk carriers of about 400,000 dwt: 25 m at chart datum on the unloading quay (Berth 22), 19.5 m and 16 m on the loading quay (Berths 23 and 24), with the approach channel and outer turning basin maintained at 23 m (Vale terminal regulations, December 2019).^[5]

—Berth 25 is offered as a layby berth for vessels of 160–220 m LOA; the jetty deck takes trucks, mobile cranes and cherry pickers, and hot work is allowed with prior port approval.^[3]

Sohar’s anchorage zones lie 4–10 nautical miles offshore in 30–60 m of water, and the port markets them for STS transfers and offshore maintenance on the strength of year-round mild sea conditions.^[3]

—The anchorage is split by purpose: Area A for ships awaiting berthing instructions (short stays), Areas B and D for long stays — lay-up, repairs, replenishment and crew change — and Areas C and E for STS work such as double-banking and bunkering (as set out in the Vale terminal regulations, December 2019).^[5]

—Marine services run through a licensed roster published by the port, with categories for bunkering, ship chandling, supplies, crew change and fresh water, MARPOL waste collection, in-water repair and hull cleaning, surveys and STS operations. The listed bunker licensees are TFG OOMCO, Global Oil Resources, Alpha Energy and Fujairah Engineering Company; Oman Maritime Waste Treatment is listed for waste.^[3]

—Crew changes lean on the road and air links: the port puts Muscat and Dubai 2–3 hours away by road and Sohar Airport alongside.^[3]

—Sohar sits outside the Strait of Hormuz. During the 2026 Hormuz disruption, Windward counted it among the only major regional ports outside both the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb threat zones, recorded a sharp rise in ship-to-ship bunkering in Omani waters, and by April 2026 described Sohar as a reliable secondary entry point handling sustained diverted volumes within capacity.^[6,7]

—An agent, who handles the port’s electronic filing: Sohar runs vessel schedules, cargo details and documentation through its PMIS-MARASI system and publishes a shipping-agents directory and an agents manual.^[4]

—Pilot and ETA: the master or agent reconfirms the ETA with the Harbour Master at least four hours before arrival; pilots board by pilot boat at the charted boarding position, and the approach channel is normally one-way, with departing ships having right of way (Vale terminal regulations, December 2019).^[5]

—Bunkers, crew change and waste landing from the licensed providers — nominate through your agent. Alongside the Vale jetty, bunkers and lubes come only from the sea side; stores, spares and fresh water are arranged at the jetty through agents, and garbage (MARPOL Annex V) is landed on the jetty against a mandatory port service charge.^[3,5]

—Provisions, stores and fresh water, alongside or at anchor: post a requirement and chandlers serving Sohar answer with sealed bids — suppliers never see the vessel’s name until award. If you hold a Sohar marine-services licence, be the first supplier in.