Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone has revealed that the first phase of its mega expansion plan is set to get under way soon.

The expansion is part of the freezone's long-term move to grow the vital industrial and maritime hub by as much as 50 per cent, a report said.

According to officials, the current expansion project, dubbed Sohar Port South, envisages the dredging and reclamation of a waterfront area (formerly known as the Majees Reclamation Project) on the southern boundaries of the hub, added the Oman Daily Observer report.

As a first step in the implementation of this landmark development, Sohar Port and Freezone floated a tender last week inviting local and international consultants to prequalify for its contract to provide consultancy services as well as the front-end engineering design (FEED) on its Sohar Port South expansion.

Interested consultants have until the end of this week to collect the prequalification documents, it said.

Overseeing the Sohar Port South expansion is Sohar International Development Company (SIDC), a 50-50 joint venture between the Omani government, represented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the Port of Rotterdam.

Significantly, the expansion will add a further 200 hectares of land to Sohar Port’s present capacity of around 2,000 hectares — almost all of which has already been leased to tenants and service providers.

Given its proximity to the bustling petrochemicals cluster of the port, it is expected that Sohar Port South will be earmarked almost exclusively for petrochemicals-based investment, added the report.