It is business as usual at all factories at the industrial estate, said officials at the Sohar Industrial Port, noting that they have improved the standard of living of the national manpower and employed a number of Omanis in response to the Royal orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.
Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries announced that all its plants have been operating without interruptions since the beginning of the year, supplying local and international customers with its products. Both Mina Al Fahal and Sohar Refineries have been operating since the beginning of the year without interruptions.
Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries "OmanOil RPI", the new company which manages Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company ("ORPC"), Aromatics Oman ("AOL") and Oman Polypropylene ("OPP"), was established as a new entity to manage the three companies, with the goal of achieving greater efficiency and a
higher economic value from the assets at Mina AI Fahal Refinery, Sohar Refinery and the aromatics and polypropylene plants at Sohar.
The company has also announced that, in response to His Majesty's orders to provide 50,000 new jobs, the group has already started recruiting 100 Omani trainees (who are holders of university degrees or college diplomas) to work at its operations in Sohar and Muscat after getting the necessary training to be conducted by the company.
The company said in a statement said that the group has plans to increase its Omanization level from currently 69 per cent to 95 per cent by the end of 2015. This will provide between 400 - 500 jobs for Omanis over the next 5 years. Plans are in place for training Omani staff to fill positions currently held by non-Omanis.
The company decided to improve the standard of living of its employees and give them more benefits. Starting April 1st, the group will pay a cost of living allowance to all its employees which ranges from 100 Rials for employees with lower salaries to 50 Rials for those with higher salaries. Earlier this year, the group introduced a profit sharing scheme for its employees.
In a statement to ONA, Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhy, Oil and Gas Minister, said "Over the past months we have managed good improvements of our operational and financial performance. We have increased utilization of Sohar Refinery from an average of 58 per cent in 2010 to 97 per cent in January and February. The aromatics plant has seen a utilization of 87 per cent this year compared to 69 per cent in 2010, the polypropylene plant 77 per cent this year versus 47 per cent last year. This has led to the very good financial results since construction of the plants in Sohar.
He added that the company has maintained its safety record, especially safety comes on top of the priorities of the company. He added that the company strives to reduce emission and flames by using the lowest natural resources in its operations.
All these improvements have only been possible because of the commitment and hard work of our employees, he said. Many improvement initiatives and integration ideas have been started to maximize the operational and commercial integration of the four plants.
He affirmed that the engineering work for the Sohar Refinery expansion project have also started and is expected to start construction of the project in 2012." He pointed out that Sohar refinery processes up to 106,000 barrels per day to produce gasoline, gas oil, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil and jet oil. Feedstock from the refinery is routed to the petrochemical plants to produce polypropylene and aromatics.
He added that the company is also seeking to improve its relations with the local communities where its operations are located. The company has pledged to work with other industrial partners and various government stakeholders to boost community relations by stressing hiring from local communities and supporting community-based initiatives and social projects.
On the other hand, Vale Oman company said that it resumed its activities after a halt following the events witnessed by the wilayat of Sohar recently including unloading of shipping vessels at the port.
A statement issued by the company said that although the company has not yet started production, its preliminary operational processes at the factory were halted twice temporary till conditions settled. This was a precautionary measure to ensure the full safety and security of the working team.
Vale company affirmed that it is committed to its units economic development and sustainability.
The company invested $1.35 billion to set up its project in the Sultanate. The project will contribute to the development of the Al Batinah region through providing job opportunities for the national manpower, management and development of the supply chains, the local services and economic diversification.
As of now, the number of employees at Vale stands at 368, including 228 Omanis. The company has a future plan to achieve 80 per cent Omanisation by 2015.
Dr Hilal bin Abdullah al Hinai, Human Resources Manager at Sohar Aluminum company, said that work at the smelter did not halted by the recent sit-ins witnessed by the wilayat of Sohar.
The plant continued its work with its usual production capacity which amounts to 370,000 tons of aluminum, 320,000 of which are allocated for export to South East Asia and some European countries and the remainder for the local market.
Dr Hilal said in a statement to Oman News Agency that that the company, in response to the Royal orders, appointed 40 Omanis. He added that the company has plans to employ 30 more Omanis at the mill. He pointed out that the number of employees at the company stands at 1,003, of them 733 are Omanis, or a rate of 73.3 per cent Omanization. He affirmed that most of the employees at the company are Omani residents of Al Batinah region (41 per cent of them from Sohar itself).
He affirmed also that the company has a five-year plan that aims at increasing the volume of production and the rate of Omanisation in the near future.
Omanisation rate is expected to reach 85 per cent by the end of 2014, said Dr Hilal, noting that, depending on the availability of gas, production will be doubled, thereby generating 600 new jobs. — ONA

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