Oman and Etihad Rail Company signed an MoU with Emirates Steel Arkan to enable the export of raw materials from the Oman to UAE

To enable the export of raw materials from the Sultanate of Oman to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Etihad Rail Company (OERC), the creator and operator of the UAE-Oman Rail Network, inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emirates Steel Arkan, the biggest producer of steel and building materials in the UAE. As per the terms of this deal, Emirates Steel Arkan intends to import raw limestone from Oman to its cement facilities in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. OERC will handle the logistics of this transportation.

The CEOs of OERC and Emirates Steel, an Arkan business, Saeed Khalfan Al Ghafri, and Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Four to six million tonnes of premium raw materials will be transported to Al Ain each year by Etihad Rail and Oman, offering Emirates Steel Arkan logistics options. By doing this, Emirates Steel Arkan is guaranteed to be able to manufacture and ship two to three million tonnes of completed items annually to local markets.

The primary advantage of the partnership between OERC and Emirates Steel Arkan is that it boosts investments in Omani quarries and boosts the mining industry's earnings. The railway network in Oman will give quarrying businesses direct shipping options for exporting their goods to local markets by linking ports and manufacturing centres. This helps realise Oman Vision 2040, which is to create a competitive, sustainable, and diversified economy with contemporary, unified frameworks.

In order to achieve sustainable economic growth, the agreement highlights the importance of the rail network as a vital link in the transportation and logistics chain spanning the region. This will draw businesses from both domestic and foreign companies to the area and foster long-term commercial partnerships. The cooperative railway network will promote both nations' goals of achieving net neutrality by 2050 by driving transition towards a low-carbon future and reducing reliance on vehicles and trucks.