Oman has invited Indian businesses to invest in Sohar Port, which lies on its Gulf of Oman coast away from the Strait of Hormuz and offers access to Gulf energy resources. The port is close to major energy pipelines of the UAE and eastern Saudi Arabia, has drawn over $30 billion in investment and handles 72 million tonnes of cargo a year. Oman is promoting Sohar and its Free Zone to boost Indian investment, trade and exports, having earlier offered India the Duqm and Salalah ports. A planned Oman-UAE rail link is expected to connect Sohar with the UAE rail network.