Oman port closure cuts off last ammonia export route from Middle East

The Omani port of Salalah on the Arabian Sea has been closed "until further notice," according to a customer advisory from the port, suggesting no ammonia can be exported from the Middle East, the world's largest export region.

"All terminal operations have been temporarily suspended until further notice," the advisory, issued March 11, said.

The closure comes after a drone strike on fuel tanks at the port on March 11, according to Oman state media.

OQ Trading uses Salalah port to export ammonia from the Salalah Methanol Company, most recently to Jordan.

The 26,000-metric ton gas carrier Gas Ammon, chartered by OQ Trading, is due at Salalah on March 15, according to S&P Global Energy shipping data.

A source familiar with the market told Platts on March 12 that the ship's loading appeared to have been canceled, and it would now only load bunker fuel upon arrival at the port.

Ammonia market participants say Salalah is the only loading port that could theoretically lift a cargo since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, with other major export hubs behind the Strait of Hormuz.

Salalah Port and OQ Trading did not respond to requests for comment.

Even if the port can load ammonia, it remains within the high-risk area and thus ships calling to the port would be subject to higher insurance premiums. Market sources have said shipowners have been reluctant to sail ships through the area to load ammonia, a highly toxic pressurized gas.

Three ammonia carriers -- two of which were loaded -- remain stuck inside the Strait of Hormuz after loading in Saudi Arabia and Qatar prior to the war.

A fourth ship, returning from a regular delivery to Asia, will stop and wait outside the high-risk area rather than sail to reload in Saudi Arabia, a shipping market participant told Platts March 11.

Major supply region

The Middle East, including Bahrain, Iran, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, exported 4.28 million mt of ammonia in 2025, from a global trade of 17.73 million mt, according to S&P Global Energy CERA analysts. Most came from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar.

Qatar Energy halted ammonia production following a drone strike on March 4, while Saudi Arabia's Maaden was reported to be running at reduced rates.

Production at Saudi Arabia's Sabic is unclear. The company has not responded to requests for comment.

No ammonia ships linked to Iran have been seen to have left the region since the war began, according to data from S&P Global Commodities at Sea data.

Oman's ports of Sohar, Sur and Salalah are the only Middle East ammonia export terminals outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Sur and Sohar are intermittent ammonia exporters focused on downstream urea production, while Salalah exports around 330,000 mt/year of merchant ammonia, according to CERA analysts.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed FOB Middle East ammonia at $520/mt on March 12, up $10/mt on the day.