The Sultanate of Oman has signed an agreement with DCMR Environmental Protection Agency (DCMR) and the Port of Rotterdam for the establishment of an environmental protection agency in the Port of Sohar area. The environmental agency will be acting directly under the Ministry of Environmental and Climate Affairs (MECA).

The Ministry, furthering its aim to assist all authorities in developing environmental policies will work with DCMR to give guidance and to ensure that the rules are observed by all the industries in Sohar. In addition to this, a program will be established to communicate with the surrounding communities through different channels together with Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC (SIPC) and TAWASOL.

SIPC is a 50/50 joint venture of the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam. The successful partnership of DCMR and the Port of Rotterdam has existed for years in Rotterdam. DCMR will help with the education of environmental officers and will put its experience and knowledge at the disposal of the Sultanate. A project manager from DCMR will be based in Sohar for this purpose from June 1, 2008.

The agreement was signed in Rotterdam by H.E. Sayyed Hamood Bin Faisal, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs of Oman, Hans Smits, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority, and Maarten de Hoog, Executive Director DCMR.

DCMR was founded in 1972 in order to improve environmental protection in the Rotterdam region in Holland. This region is a heavily industrialised area with refineries, many large chemical plants, metallurgy, food processing plants and about 19,500 smaller companies. DCMR issues an annual environmental monitoring report for the Rotterdam region, together with other local and regional organisations. DCMR puts a lot of attention into the continuous measurement of the environmental quality. The environmental monitoring assesses the performance of regional environmental policy.

The DCMR is involved in international projects in EU countries and assists them in improving implementation of EU directives or national laws. These projects are often in co-operation with experts of the DCMR and related organisations in the Netherlands and other countries in the European Union.