Oman: Oman's biggest cement producer Raysut Cement Company (RCC) has decided to take a fresh term loan of US$166m from BankDhofar, BankMuscat and Oman Arab Bank. The loan has been taken to refinance existing borrowing.

RCC Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Ahmed Al Dheeb stated that extending the tenure of the loan from five to 10 years would reduce the instalment and interest rate, which require an outgoing of about US$16 – 18m during the first three years. RCC also said it had taken the new loan in order to protect itself and its subsidiaries from pressure by the existing consortium of bankers to mortgage all of its properties.

In 2011 RCC acquired United Arab Emirates' Pioneer Cement for US$172m, making it one of the largest cement producers in the Gulf region. The acquisition was financed by long-term borrowing from the consortium of bankers led by BankDhofar. The move added 1.7 – 1.8Mt/yr capacity to RCC bringing its total to about 4.7Mt/yr.

RCC posted a net profit of US$38.8m in 2011, a fall of compared to US$53.8m in 2010. It attributed the decline in profit to severe competition in the domestic and the export markets impacting both volume and the price. The company's revenue rose to US$218m in 2011 from US$169m in 2010.