Oman's National Ferries registers 121% increase in passenger numbers

Muscat: The number of passengers transported by the National Ferries Company’s (NFC) fleet witnessed a 121 per cent jump from 92,724 passengers in 2014 to 205,579 during 2015, according to the latest statistics of the company.
The NFC’s data further shows that the number of vehicles shipped on board the company's ferries during 2015 stood at 52,771, compared to 21,048 vehicles during 2014. Freight movement rose to reach 8,232 tonnes in 2015.
The statistics showed that the number of passengers witnessed a growth of 84 per cent on the basis of combined annual growth while the number of vehicles increased by 112 per cent during 2008-2015. The NFC also achieved 97 per cent punctuality indicator and 94.4 per cent rating in the credibility of the services provided.
The statistics indicated that the number of passengers and vehicles transported grew in 2015. The number of passengers transported in the first half of 2015 rose from 81,356 passengers and 21,547 vehicles to 124,223 passengers and 31,224 vehicles in the second half of 2015.
Mahdi bin Mohammed Al Abdwani, CEO of the NFC, stated that the growth in the number of passengers and vehicles is attributed to the launch of Khasab-Daba route and Daba-Lima route, in addition to the increase in the number of voyages during the religious and national holidays.
He said in a statement to the Oman News Agency (ONA) that Shannah-Masirah route witnessed the highest activity during 2015 as 168,227 passengers were transported, constituting 82 per cent of the total number of the passengers and comprising an occupancy rate of 44 per cent at the level of passengers. He added that the NFC transported 46,272 vehicles, accounting for 88 per cent of the total vehicles, and 56 per cent occupancy rate.
Passengers on the Shannah-Masirah route comprised 33 per cent of the total passengers while the number of the transported vehicles comprised 35 per cent of the total vehicles in 2015. The two ferries, "Shannah and Jawharat Masirah" of the NFC, operated 2,554 voyages, compared to 6,501 voyages operated by eight local ferries owned by citizens.
A total of 15,364 passengers travelled on the Muscat-Khasab route, accounting for seven per cent of the total of passengers with an occupancy rate of 52 per cent while the number of vehicles transported along the same route reached 3,769, comprising seven per cent of the total vehicles in 2015, an occupancy rate of 63 per cent.
The Shinas-Khasab route carried 9,577 passengers, or 43 per cent of the total passengers, and 2,540 vehicles or 57 per cent of the total vehicles transported.
The CEO of the NFC added that the occupancy rate of passengers' service at Lima-Daba route stood at 75 per cent with 5,424 passengers being transported even though it is a new route, launched only in September 2015.
The Shinas-Daba-Khasab route transported 2,029 passengers and 190 vehicles. The Khasab-Lima route carried 3,723 passengers while the Lima-Shinas route transported 1,235 passengers.