Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC), a major supplier of primary construction materials/aggregate, said it has signed a deal with Belgian engineering consultant Rent-A-Port to initiate works on limestone and gabbros quarries at Oman in an effort to meet the growing demand of construction raw materials.

The move comes as part of QPMC's expansion plans and in light of the two licenses it had acquired for setting up mining operations in the Khatmat Malaha area in Oman, said its chief executive Eisa Al Hammadi after signing the deal with Rent-A-Port managing director Marc Stordiau in the presence of Princess Astrid of Belgium and Qatar's ambassador to Belgium Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani at a ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha.

As per the deal, the duo will also develop a one-kilometer-long jetty in Oman to quarry and transport over three million tonne of gabbro and marketable primary materials every year by barges to Qatar.

Al Hammadi said: "As a company established to ensure supplies of building materials in support of the booming construction industry in Qatar, QPMC is bound to constantly explore new mines in search of primary materials and with Rent-A-Port as an expert consultant, we hope not only to maximise output from the Omani quarries and ensure most efficient operations at controlled costs, but also achieve a solid leap in the bilateral relations with Belgium."

Stordiau said: "We at Rent-A-Port take great pride in associating ourselves with QPMC by providing services to QPMC in the design and feasibility of the Khatmat Malaha quarry and jetty, also of the new Lusail jetty, cement silo and conveyor stacker project in Qatar."

"We believe that between our professional services and long expertise and QPMC’s dedication and financial robustness, QPMC is becoming a partner of choice for foreign companies looking to facilitate Qatar’s thriving construction sector ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and beyond," he added.-TradeArabia News Service