Oman and Etihad Rail Company, the developer and operator of the railway network linking the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE, signed a memorandum of understanding with Emirates Steel Arkan , the largest iron and building materials Production Company in the UAE, to export raw materials from the Sultanate of Oman to the UAE.
Under this agreement, Oman and Etihad Rail will provide logistical solutions for the raw limestone transportation that Emirates Arkan Steel intend to import from the Sultanate of Oman to the company’s cement factories in the city of Al Ain in the UAE.
The memorandum was signed by Engineer Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, CEO of Oman and Etihad Rail, and Engineer Saeed Khalfan Al Ghafri, CEO of Emirates Steel, one of the companies affiliated with the Emirates Steel Arkan Group.
Engineer Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, CEO of Oman and Etihad Rail, said: We are proud to strengthen our strategic partnerships with major companies in the building materials field, such as Emirates Steel Arkan, as this agreement embodies the vision that launched the linking project between the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE. Its deadline which aims to enhance cross-border trade exchange between the two brotherly countries and to link production, manufacturing, import and export areas with an integrated, highly efficient transport network, which contributes to creating promising and sustainable trade opportunities for the mining industry and the building and construction materials production sector in the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE.
For his part, Engineer Saeed Khalfan Al Ghafri, CEO of Emirates Steel, one of the companies affiliated with the Emirates Steel Arkan Group, said: By working with Oman and Etihad Rail, we are enhancing the capabilities of the supply chain by taking advantage of the railway network that connects the two countries. This agreement paves the way for the use of integrated logistical solutions to transport raw materials to and from the cement factory in Al Ain. These solutions are characterized by efficiency in terms of operation, costs, and environmental consideration. The agreement also contributes to achieving qualitative development at the level of the transport network and cross-border supply chains.
Oman and Etihad Rail will provide logistical support and shipping solutions for Emirates Steel Arkan’s plans by transporting high-quality raw materials from the Sultanate of Oman in quantities ranging from 4 to 6 million tonnes to the city of Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE annually. This will support Emirates Steel Arkan produces and exports 2-3 million tonnes annually of its final products to markets in the region.
