MUSCAT, Oman - Oman evacuated tens of thousands Wednesday and closed the major port of Sohar as a weakening Cyclone Gonu roared toward the Strait of Hormuz - the world's major transport artery for Persian Gulf oil.

Stronger than normal waves come ashore at Muscat, Oman, Tuesday June 5 2007. A cyclone expected to be the strongest storm ever recorded in the Arabian Peninsula churned toward the oil-rich Gulf on Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents of Oman's coastal towns to flee their homes. Its affect the region's oil installations was unclear with the storm expected to skirt or lose strength before hitting the most important installations in the Persian Gulf off of Saudi Arabia and southern Iran. [AP]

Oil prices rose amid forecasts that the strongest storm to hit the Arabian Peninsula in 60 years was barreling toward Iran.

As heavy rains lashed coastal areas, authorities closed all operations at the port of Sohar and evacuated the 11,000 workers, port spokesman Dirk Jan De Vink said.

Sohar's oil refinery and petrochemical plant remained running at very low levels, with authorities considering a total shutdown, he said.

De Vink said he and the other beachfront residents of the city of 60,000 were leaving their homes, all threatened by rising tides and large waves pushed by the approaching storm.

"These people know the force of the sea and they're doing the right thing," he said. "Most of them are leaving or have already left."

Electricity went out in Muscat by noon Wednesday, as winds of 62 mph hit the capital. Oman television broadcast footage of streets and buildings flooded with water. Health ministry official Ali bin Gaafar bin Mohammed said rescue workers had difficulties reaching affected areas.

"Even helicopters cannot fly, so it is very difficult," he said. In the nearby Al-Amriyat town, a flood-related mudslide closed a main road.

Flights in and out of Oman's Seeb International Airport were canceled Wednesday, according to an official Hamad bin Ali al Abri. Flights that were en route to Muscat were diverted to other airports in the region, he said.

Further northeast, in the UAE port of Fujairah, the world's third-largest shipping fuel center, all refueling and ship-to-ship supply operations had been halted. Ships were being allowed to berth but other marine activities were suspended, officials said.

A few ships were still sailing through the nearby Strait of Hormuz despite 4- to 6-foot swells and strong winds, according to Suresh Nair of the Gulf Agency Co. shipping firm.

"The entire area is unsafe. Vessels that were bound to call here say they are diverting because of the storm," Nair said. "Some are still going through the strait."

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