Teams from three nations
Vale and the ‘Oman and Etihad Rail Company’ sign deal, Vale, a leading Brazilian iron ore producer, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the ‘Oman and Etihad Rail Company’. The plan is to develop integrated logistics solutions to transport iron and its derivatives through the Omani port of Sohar.
This latest commitment in Oman isn’t new ground for Vale. The mining company that’s active in five continents already supports the development of railway systems in its home country Brazil, where railway enterprises owned by the group operate around 2,000 km of rail networks.
The Brazilians have also already been active in the port of Sohar and its free-trade zone for twelve years. Vale’s industrial complex in the port is said to be the largest industrial investment ever in the sultanate. Now it is set to be connected to a giant new Vale industrial complex planned for the UAE.
Vale and the ‘Oman and Etihad Rail Company’, the developer and operator of the Emirati-Omani railway network, want to jointly investigate how this can be managed logistically. The memorandum of understanding signed in May reflects the logistics importance the project will have for major international players in various sectors, according to a statement from Muscat.
The signing ceremony was attended by Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Oman’s minister of energy and infrastructure and the chairman of said railway company, and Elaina Zugaib, Brazil’s ambassador to the UAE.
The project’s logistics importance was underlined by Rogério Nogueira, Vale’s product and operations manager, who said that the partnership will enable new economic activities and offer various benefits, including creating employment opportunities and providing quality transport services.