Sohar Port in Oman has become a strategic alternative route for Indian cargo bound for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as shipping around the Strait of Hormuz faces disruption. The deep-sea commercial port and industrial free zone lies in Liwa, Al Batinah North Governorate, facing the Gulf of Oman and outside the Strait of Hormuz. It hosts four industrial clusters — Logistics, Petrochemicals, Metals and Food — and offers road links to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.