Sunday 04 / October / 2026
Muscat: Asyad Drydock, part of the Asyad Group, continues to enhance its global competitiveness in the maritime services and industries sector, having completed 130 projects during the first eight months of 2026 and attracted 56 new international clients, bringing its total client base to approximately 900 commercial clients from various global markets.
These results reflect Duqm’s growing prominence as a hub for maritime services and industries in the Sultanate of Oman, leveraging its infrastructure and specialized facilities for servicing international vessels and fleets, and its integration with the existing ports, services, and industries within the Special Economic Zone at Duqm .
Ahmed bin Ali Al Balushi, CEO of ASYAD Drydock Company, stated that the total number of completed projects is 130, including 119 ship repair and maintenance projects and 11 industrial projects.
Al Balushi noted that approximately 40 percent of the new clients the company has attracted since the beginning of the year are from the Middle East and Far East markets.
He added that the company set a new record this year for double berthing during maintenance work, executing 10 simultaneous operations for the first time. This involved berthing two vessels side-by-side at the dock and performing maintenance on them simultaneously, which contributed to increased berth utilization efficiency and a greater number of projects that could be executed concurrently. Furthermore, a new operational record was achieved by simultaneously performing maintenance and repair work on 27 vessels, reflecting the technical and operational capabilities of the workforce, the capacity of the facilities, and the company's efficiency in managing multiple concurrent operations.
He noted that the floating dock has significantly enhanced the dry dock's capabilities, enabling the company to complete work on 13 vessels by the end of August 2026, compared to just two vessels during the same period in 2025.
Al Balushi explained that the company is currently working on two new shipbuilding projects for various uses, building on its success in this sector, following the completion and delivery of three projects to clients in local and Gulf markets in recent years.
He added that the impact of this growth extends beyond the company's expansion, contributing to the enhancement of local content and supporting the national business ecosystem.
Al Balushi pointed out that during the first eight months of this year, ASYAD Drydock awarded contracts and purchase orders worth OMR 6.5 million to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and OMR 12.5 million to local companies, representing 81 percent of the total value of awarded contracts.
These results reflect the direct impact of the dry dock's growth on revitalizing local supply chains, expanding business opportunities for national institutions and companies, and enhancing the participation of the Omani private sector in the maritime services and industries ecosystem. This reinforces Duqm's role as an integrated maritime business hub and strengthens the sector's contribution to the local economy.
He added that these indicators confirm the development of the maritime services and industries ecosystem in Duqm, which combines port services, ship repair and maintenance, shipbuilding, and related services and industries, thus supporting the attraction of maritime businesses from international markets to the Sultanate of Oman.
