OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Oldest Omani Man Dat 137 [Jun5]
“The oldest living Omani, Bashir Al Saalmi, has died at thea ge of 137 in Sumayil, located about 100-km northwest off Muscat, according to a report by Oman News Agency on Saturday.  He has left behind him 13 chidlren around 300 gradnchildren, the report says.  The report claims that Al Saalmi never went to hospital for treatment during his lifetime. In his last days when took seriously ill, he was fed honey and fresh meat..”  [Complete Report]

Death Toll Rises From Cyclone Phet in Oman  [Jun 5]
“Cyclone Phet killed 15 people and left two missing in Oman before barrelling towards Pakistan, a civil defence force official said on Saturday.  Thirteen Omanis and two expatriates were killed by the storm, he said.  Lt. General Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Ma’amari told Oman’s state television that the dead included a non-commissioned officer of the Civil Defence. The officer died while trying to rescue a family from surging waters in Rustaq, northwest of the country, Al Ma’amari said.  One more person died in Sumayil when his car was washed away in surging wadi waters while the fifth death was reported from the northwest..”  [Complete Report]

Falmouth Coastguard Completes Oman Cyclone Rescue  [Jun 5]
“Twenty-three people have been rescued from two fishing vessels stranded off Oman in a cyclone.  Falmouth Coastguard co-ordinated the search for nine people on the barge Kanta and 14 on the tug named Roma.  The coastguard used satellite communication to find a nearby tanker which travelled 300 miles (482.8km) to locate the two vessels.  The crews boarded the tanker on Friday, 30 hours after the rescue was launched. No-one was injured in the incident. At the height of the cyclone wind speeds reached 200mph (321.kph) and waves were as high as 10m (32ft).  Falmouth Coastguard watch manager Marc Thomas said: “This was an incredibly dangerous mission for all vessels involved due to a severe tropical cyclone.  “We are very grateful to the captains and crews of all the vessels that were involved in this very difficult and drawn out rescue.” ..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Financial Aid Rumours Trigger Traffic Jam in Muscat  [Jun 4]
“Rumours about financial aid for widows and divorcees triggered a traffic jam and chaos outside the Omani Women’s Association (OWA) Salalah office in the southern region, according to a report in Arabic daily Shabiba.  People believed that the OWA was authorised to collect relevant documents to be forwarded for the grant and thus thronged the OWA premises in large numbers.  The OWA shut their gates and put a notice outside which said: “Dear citizens do not come to association for registration.”  However, what infuriated the crowds was a cardboard box outside the gates in which people had placed applications. The OWA had no knowledge of the box and who put it there..”  [Complete Report]

Chinese and Omani Defense Chiefs Discuss Stronger Ties, Anti-Piracy Operation [Jun 4]
“..China and Oman on Thursday pledged to enhance military relations, including joint efforts to combat piracy off Somalia.  The pledge came out of the hour-long talks between Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his Omani counterpart Aayyid Badr Bin Saud Bin Hareb Al-Busaidi.  Liang recalled his visit to Oman in 2008, saying the visit helped communications between the two militaries.  Liang said bilateral ties were developing soundly, and proposed the two militaries strengthen exchanges and expand areas of cooperation.  Badr echoed Liang’s proposal and called for the two militaries to step up personnel training and other substantive cooperation.  Liang briefed Badr on the Chinese navy’s operations to crack down on pirates at the Gulf of Aden and Somalia..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Weakened Cyclone Phet Hits Oman, Causes Floods  [Jun 3]
“Tropical storm Phet hit Oman, causing landslides and floods in the eastern part of the country and halting oil and gas production, before losing intensity on Friday.  Heavy rains drenched Oman’s east coast as strong winds uprooted trees and signboards.  The Oman News Agency said that army forces were deployed in the region as civil defense rescued three people from an area engulfed by floods in Wadi Sal valley.  Meanwhile, Oman halted its oil and gas production due to bad weather as Cyclone Phet hit the small oil-producing country’s coast, but no facilities were damaged, DPO and Oman LNG spokesmen said on Friday.  “We won’t load any oil because no ship is able to anchor at our facility due to rough seas,” a spokesman for state-controlled Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, said.  “I have never seen rains like this in the seven to eight years I have lived here,” Eugene M. Joseph, operations manager at Al Askara Youth Hostel, told Gulf News over the phone as he prepared to leave the small town on the east coast..”  [Complete Report]

Oman Air Launches Dar Es Salaam – Muscat Flights  [Jun 3]
“MUSCAT-based Oman Air today launched its maiden flight between Dar es Salaam and the Omani capital. The four weekly flights have been scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the aircrafts departing at Muscat International Airport to Julius Nyerere International Airport and back to Oman.  The Dar es Salaam route brings to 38 the total number of the Arabian airline destinations, worldwide.  Philippe Georgious, the company’s Chief Officer Corporate, told reporters in Dar es Salaam that, “Oman Air is delighted to add Dar es Salaam to its rapidly expanding network, and we have worked tirelessly to launch this route.”  He said with historical ties and the flourishing trade and business between Oman and Tanzania, the airline was confident that the new service will further strengthen the excellent existing bilateral ties..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Omani FM Receives UAE Ambassador to Oman  [Jun 2]
“Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Omani Minister for Foreign Affairs, received in his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE Ambassador to Oman, Mohammed Ali Al Osaimi, who delivered an invitation from H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, to attend “The Peace and Security Forum” which will take place in Abu Dhabi between the 5th and 8th of next November.  The forum will be the first of its kind in the region..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Visitors to Oman Expected to Increase in 2010  [Jun 2]
“The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism cited the attractiveness of Oman as a destination for both regional and international tourism. Numbers have remained positive over recent years as a result of substantial tourism infrastructure developments and investment in the tourism sector.  The Sultanate of Oman is continuing their strategy of promoting Oman’s tourism potential internationally, penetrating new international markets as well as maintaining Oman’s reputation as an attractive destination for regional tourism.  The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism has sent an Omani delegation to participate in the Saudi Tourism Show in Riyadh from June 1 to June 4, where they are promoting tourism to Oman from their GCC neighbours. The show gathers tourism executives, experts and government representatives from different countries, to discuss strategies and possible opportunities for cooperation in the area of eco-tourism..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Omani Women’s Liberation Through The Camera Lens  [Jun 1]
“In Oman, many women today are enthusiastically embracing photography as a means to express their perceptions of the world they live in. Farhat Al Harthy, 29, and Amaal Al Busaidi are two such women. They had always wanted to present their world view through art but could not find the right medium until they picked up a camera.  Al Harthy’s tryst with photography began in 2006, although it was not until 2008, when she moved to Bahrain for a year to work for the Danish company, COWI, that she found herself completely hooked. She was thrilled by the sheer variety of stories she could tell through her pictures. It led her to join a weekend class for beginners to fine tune her basics and then follow this up by enrolling for a six week documentary photography workshop conducted by noted photographer Camille Zakharia..”  [Complete Report]

Oman: New Projects Signal Tourism Boom  [Jun 1]
“A four-star hotel coming up in Al Khuwair is among the many properties currently under way in Oman which signal the country’s booming tourism business. S A Salman Rizvi, general manager of an upcoming property named ‘The Platinum’ in Al Khuwair, said: “Our new four-star hotel, set to open soon, is yet another sign of Oman’s booming tourism sector.”  Even as the construction is nearing completion, The Platinum is receiving a very good response from prospective customers “largely because tourism is booming in the Sultanate.”  The Sultanate’s tourism sector continues to flourish in the face of international economic meltdown, Salman added.. ..Around nine new hotels are coming up in the Batinah Region in view of the booming tourism business..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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L&T Seeks to Strengthen Presence in Oman  [May 31]
” L&T Oman (L&T), a joint venture of Indian engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Limited and The Zubair Corporation of Oman, aims to build on its robust performance of 2009 to emerge as a key player in the Sultanate’s rapidly expanding construction and infrastructure development sector.  A team of top executives from the parent company was in Muscat late last week on a visit designed to review L&T Oman’s operational successes of last year, and to chart a strategy for the joint venture’s energetic future growth.  The team, comprising K V Rangaswami, L&T Board Member and President of the Construction Division, and V B Gadgil, Senior Vice-President and Chairman of L&T Oman, met with L&T Oman’s senior management led by M Shyamsunder, Chief Executive, to explore opportunities for consolidating and strengthening the engineering conglomerate’s presence in the Sultanate..”  [Complete Report]

A’Duqum Port in Oman to Boost Country’s Economy [May 31]
“A’Duqum Port in Al Wusta Region currently under construction is one of the strategic projects being implemented by the Sultanate’s Government to boost the national economy and revive the economic and industrial activities in the Sultanate in particular and the whole region in general.  The Port of A’Duqum is  characterized by it’s strategic location, as it overlooks the Arabian Sea and not far from the international shipping lines that link the East with the West and  the regional shipping lines that link the AGCC countries  and the Indian Ocean Rim countries with the international shipping lines.  dditionally, A’Duqum Port will serve the shipping lines between the Ports of the Sultanate, support cargo movement, the industrial and tourism activities as it lies almost mid-way between Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat and Port of Salalah in the Dhofar Governorate..”  [Complete Report]

OMANGROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Oman Grants Extension to Amnesty Seekers  [May 30]
“Foreign workforce stranded in Oman without legal papers will get a further two-month reprieve as the Manpower Ministry extended their deadline to leave the country without paying fines.  In January, the government gave overstaying expatriates three months to complete all the paperwork and leave the country without paying fines or to regularise their status with the Manpower Ministry.  The deadline was first extended up to May 31.  A large number of overstaying expatriates, mainly blue-collar workers, will have to either regularise their status or leave Oman. “We have had requests from diplomatic missions to give further extension for the partial amnesty and a formal announcement to this effect will be made tomorrow (Monday),” a senior official at the Manpower Ministry told Gulf News on condition of anonymity.  On Saturday, Manpower Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Bakri said that the ministry was studying the proposal..”  [Complete Report]

GDF Suez to Build Two Power Plants in Oman  [May 30]
“GDF Suez has won a contract to build and operate two 750MW power plants in Oman at a cost of US$1.82bn.  The plants, with a capacity of 750 megawatts each, are expected to be completed in 2013, and Oman will buy electricity from the company for 15 years and then transfer the ownership to the government, an Omani tender board official told Reuters on Saturday..”  [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Brazil’s Vale to Sell Stake in Oman Pellet Plant  [May 29]
“Brazilian mining giant Vale on Saturday said it has agreed to sell a 30 percent stake in an iron pellet plant in Oman with 9 million tonne annual output to the Oman Oil Company (OOC) for $125 million.  Vale (VALE.N)(VALE5.SA), the world’s largest iron ore miner, said the Vale Oman Pelletizing Company is slated to begin production in the second half of 2010.  The plant is part of an industrial logistics center located in the Sohar Industrial Port Complex in Oman, Vale said.  Oman Oil is owned by the government of Oman.  Pellet plants partly refine ore for sale to steelmakers..” [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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BP to Start Production of Oman Tight Gas in August [May 28]
” BP PLC will begin production from two tight gas fields in Oman later this year, according to a senior Omani energy official.  “BP will start producing gas from Khazzan and Makarem fields in August,” said Nasser al-Jashmi, the undersecretary of Oman’s oil and gas ministry.  BP signed a production-sharing agreement with Oman in 2007 for the two gas fields, which lie on Block 61.  Jashmi said he expected production to reach less than 1 million cu m from the early production this year, but he said that the volume is expected to increase in 2011.  In November 2009, BP completed drilling five of eight appraisal wells as part of its development program for the reserves on Block 61.
“BP will drill eight appraisal wells in total by 2011,” according to BP Oman general manager Jonathan Evans, who added, “So far we’ve done five wells, which have provided a lot of useful information on the nature and the scale of the reservoirs.”  In a company report, Evans said, “Our latest test site, Khazzan 5, initially produced about 40 MMcfd of gas and has the highest flow rate of any well we’ve drilled so far.”..” [Complete Report]

OMAN GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Oman Shipping Report Q3 2010 – New Market Report Published  [May 27]
“The government of Oman and Port of Antwerp International (PAI), a subsidiary of Belgian Antwerp Port Authority (APA), in late March signed an agreement to set up a joint company to manage the planned Omani port of Duqm. The JV will see both partners hold a 50% stake in new company Port of Al Duqm, which will manage the port. We note a trend in the developing Omani port sector of calling upon the expertise of well-established European ports to help in the development of the Sultanate’s ports..”  [Complete Report]

Dubai August Oil Discount Widens to 25 Cents Off Oman [May 27]
“Dubai oil, a Persian Gulf benchmark for Asia, will sell at a wider discount to Omani crude futures in August as the commodity slipped almost 15 percent on global markets this month.  The official selling price for Dubai crude loading in August will be set at a discount of 25 cents to the Oman futures contract for that month, according to an e-mailed statement from the emirate’s Department of Petroleum Affairs today.  The Oman futures contract is the only product traded on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange, which released the differential provided by the Department of Petroleum Affairs. The discount to Omani crude widened from 15 cents for July. Dubai crude sold at 40 cents less than Oman for May and June..”  [Complete Report]