Meethaq Islamic, SAFE Alloys sign pact to set up ferrochrome alloys pl

19/06/2017 02:20 AST

Meethaq Islamic Bank at Bank Muscat, signed a financial agreement with SAFE Alloys LLC, a Sohar Free Zone Company which intends to set up a low carbon ferrochrome production plant at the Sohar Free Zone.

The agreement was signed by Sulaiman al Harthy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer - Islamic Banking at Bank Muscat, and Mohammad Bilal Abudayyeh, Managing Director of SAFE Alloys LLC, in the presence of a number of officials.

The agreement comes within the strategy of Meethaq Islamic Bank to provide banking and financial services complying with Islamic Sharia principles to individuals and institutions in various fields and sectors.

The investment cost of the project is approximately $14 million and it will be set up on 56 thousand square metres. This plant will be the first of its kind in the Middle East and will create around 100 employment opportunities in its first phase.

The second phase, which is expected to begin during the next five years, shall witness an investment of around $18 million and provide 150 jobs bringing the total of employment opportunities to 250 jobs. The project has the capacity to produce 16,500 tonnes of low carbon ferrochrome per annum and will be exported to Europe, the United States, South Korea, Japan and India.

Low carbon ferrochrome is produced from chrome ore and lime and silicon metal and is a used in many stainless steel industries and special steels, aerospace, oil and gas and automotive industries.

Demand for low carbon ferrochrome is growing due to the global demand in stainless steel, aerospace and automotive industries reaching 1 million tonnes per annum.

Sulaiman al Harthy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer - Islamic Banking at Bank Muscat, commented, "We are delighted to sign an agreement with SAFE Alloys.

The project is one of the most important and first of its kind in the Sultanate aiming at attracting foreign investments to the Sultanate, as well as enhancing the position and location of the Sohar Free Zone as an economic and investment destination in the Gulf region. Meethaq has many achievements contributing to the growth and development of the sultanate's economy.

It extends support to all key economic sectors with innovative Sharia based products and is well positioned to sustain Islamic financial expertise."

Al Harthy also thanked the Board of Directors of SAFE Alloys for their confidence in the financing facilities offered by Meethaq Islamic Bank. Al Harthy pointed out that this agreement represents a major chance for Meethaq to diversify its assets.

Mohammad Bilal Abudayyeh, Managing Director of SAFE Alloys, said, "We are proud to sign the financing agreement with Meethaq Islamic Bank and look forward to benefiting from this cooperation in the coming period. The agreement came to strengthen our collaboration with local partners and maximise the value of the national economy."

Mohammad Bilal Abudayyeh also said that this plant will be the first of its kind in the Middle East and will create around 250 employment opportunities in total. In addition, the growing demand for low carbon ferrochrome will make this cooperation with Meethaq Islamic Bank a fantastic opportunity to enhance the position of the Sohar Free Zone and promote it as an economic and investment destination in the Gulf region.

Oman Daily Observer