The Omani Port of Sohar is developing two large scale projects which will transform the wider Batinah region into a regional hub for industrial-scale mining, quarrying and mineral processing activities, said Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC).

The first project is the development of a major deepwater bulk jetty to support the bulk shipping needs of Brazilian mining conglomerate Vale, which is building a huge iron ore pelletising and distribution centre at the industrial port, the SIPC said in a statement.

The construction work on the deepwater bulk jetty is well underway, the company said.

A joint venture between Italy-based international engineering contractor Saipem and leading Indian infrastructure firm AFCONS, is undertaking the design and execution of the jetty structure, it added.

The 1,380-metre-long structure, which extends straight into the Sea of Oman, is itself a major feat of maritime engineering. Around 500 piles will be placed on which the trestle and the jetty platforms will be constructed.

Berthing pockets with a draft of –25 metres will allow for the docking of a new generation of ultra-large ore carriers which are being owned and operated by Oman Shipping Company.

This jetty will take Sohar into the ranks of only a select handful of ports in the world with such deepwater capability, the SPIC said.

Van Oord of The Netherlands, one of the world’s leading dredging companies, has made significant headway in dredging the approach channel and berthing pockets, having so far dredged some 8 million cubic meters from the seabed. The company has deployed one of the world’s largest dredgers at site, it added.

Port officials along the contracting consortium are working towards a very ambitious schedule to bring part of the jetty into operation by the first quarter of 2011 to coincide with the scheduled commencement of Vale’s pelletising activities.  The jetty will be fully operational in the second part of 2011.

The overall investment in the dredging, construction of the jetty and the supporting infrastructure is estimated to be $250 million.

The second project is the development of a General Dry Bulk and Aggregates Terminal.

“The investment in the Dry Bulk Terminal will add to the versatility of the Port of Sohar,” said Jan Meijer, the chief executive officer of SIPC.

“With this facility, we will have the capacity to handle bulk imports and exports of aggregates, as well as commodities like limestone, coal, cement, chromite to name a few.'

'As a big industrial port, our capability will not be limited to the handling of containers, general cargo, liquids, and petrochemicals but will also extend to all kinds of bulk commodities,” he added.

A 200-metre-long section along the jetty-trestle will be developed into a dedicated platform for the import and export of aggregates and bulk commodities. The platform is located close to where the giant ore carriers from Brazil will discharge their iron ore for Vale’s pelletising plant, the SIPC said.-TradeArabia News Service