Cyclone Tej closes Salalah port, no impact seen on Oman crude loadings

Quantum Commodity Intelligence – The tropical cyclone Tej, which was due to make landfall late Monday on the Oman/Yemen border, has led to the closure of the Salalah port in the south of Oman, including a suspension of bunkering operations

The powerful storm has also caused some disruption to shipping in the region, but otherwise Oman's oil and gas operations are largely unaffected, with Oman Blend crude oil loadings at the Mina al Fahal terminal located in the north, along with refineries at Muscat and Sohar.

Authorities ordered the closure of Oman's Port of Salalah on Sunday afternoon and it is expected to remain closed until at least later in the week, with sea conditions too rough for bunkering operations.

The port is also at risk from flooding, with a storm surge and torrential rains threatening southern Oman, although Tej may land sufficiently far south on the Yemen side of the border that Salalah could escape the worst of the rainfall.

Oman Meteorology said Tej had reached a Category 3 tropical cyclone on Sunday but has since been reduced to a Category 2.

Sources said that the storm was unlikely to impact Oman's new Duqm Refinery and the nearby Ras Markaz tank farm, which are located on the central east coast.

Last July, a storm caused an extended shutdown of bunkering operations at the Fujairah hub in the UAE, with massive flooding disrupting operations for around two weeks as several bunker suppliers declared force majeure.