Oman's Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) has signed three agreements worth RO169 million ($437 million) for the construction of a fishing port and the second package of the Duqm Port.

This awarding of contracts comes as part of the government's plan to make Sezad a major centre for fishery industries in the sultanate. Duqm is the largest fishing port in Oman spread over an area of ​​600 hectares, stated Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, the chairman of Sezad.

The first agreement related to the construction of the marine fishing port was signed with Dr Johannes Gustavus Erlings, the CEO of Galfar Engineering and Contracting.

The second was a consultancy services agreement for the construction and supervision of the fishery port at Duqm which was awarded to Cering International Engineering Consulting Company in cooperation with AAK.

Al Jabri signed the agreement for the RO60.7 million ($156.9 million) fishery port project with Sergio Di Maio, the chief executive of Sering in his office at Oasis Knowledge Muscat on Monday.

It involves the development of a fisheries industries area with a group of factories and establishments specialised in fish manufacturing and canning.

The project will be complete within 30 months from the commencement date in addition to six months for preliminaries.

The scope of work includes dredging the harbour basin up to 6 m, land reclamation to construct port service buildings besides development of a tourist area with a wharf, pontoons, floating moorings for fishermen pier with pontoons for coast guard, a crane for boat to maintenance, ramp for boats, marine services and facilities, service buildings, internal roads, parking lots and breakwaters with a total length of 3.4 km, a fixed pier for fishing purposes of 850 m.

The third contract was related to construction of the second package of Duqm Port on the pavement of the commercial pier to accommodate containers, construction of buildings and workshops for operating the pier, and cranes and service roads on the pier.

The second package of Duqm Port will be developed at a cost of RO107.3 million ($278 million) includes the most important operational facilities for the commercial wharf and it will allow the commercial operation thereof.

He indicated that the port is among the most important prime movers of Sezad and one of the strategic projects implemented by the sultanate to support the national economy and activate economic movement in Oman in general and Al Wusta Governorate, in particular.

This package includes the construction of four terminals on the commercial pier, including two for containers about 1,600-m long and 350-m wide to handle about 3.5 million TEUs annually.

There will also be a terminal for dry bulk terminal with a capacity of about 5 million tonnes per year and another terminal with a capacity of 800,000  tonnes per year. The second package also includes construction of the port operations area.

The project is being constructed by a joint venture of Turkish Serka Company and Portuguese MSF Company.

The second package of Duqm Port will be developed within 30 months from the commencement date in addition to 30 days for preliminaries, said Al Jabri after signing the deal with Hunkar Adali, the chairman of Serka and Tiago Fortunato, the vice president, MSF.

As per the agreement, Serka-MSF joint venture will establish a number of buildings in the operation area, commercial terminal, dry bulk terminal, and container terminal.

The scope of work includes supply and installation of traffic lights and parking lots for the commercial terminal, portable water connections, fire-fighting systems, water pumping stations, streetlighting, and infrastructure for communications services and work on improving the ground, supply and installation of two types of highly secured fences.-TradeArabia News Service