Oman's Qurum Business Group (QBG) has been signed up by the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) to undertake the construction of a utilities corridor that will link a key refinery complex with a major liquid jetty under development at the nearby Port of Duqm, said a report.

The RO10-million ($26 million) contract will also include the detailed design of the service corridor, reported Oman Observer.

Running the length of the corridor spanning the distance from the refinery to the liquid jetty, currently under construction on the Northern Breakwater of Duqm Port, will be a series of dedicated pipelines that will carry refined fuels and petroleum products for export.

Products that will be handled by these pipelines include LPG, diesel, jet fuel and naphtha. Provision will also be made for the installation of a crude pipeline that will carry crude as feedstock from the jetty to the refinery, said the report.

A concept design was earlier undertaken by SembCorp of Singapore, a pioneer in utilities operation and management.

Once completed, operation and management of the service corridor will be undertaken by the Centralised Utilities Company (Marafiq), a joint venture between Sembcorp and Takamul Investment Company (a subsidiary of Oman Oil Company), stated the report.

Marafiq has been established as a one-stop provider of a wide range of centralised utilities, including power and desalinated power to processing plants coming up in Duqm.

As the exclusive provider of such utilities at Duqm SEZ, Marafiq will also operate and manage a Seawater Intake and Outfall System that will be built at the SEZ, it added.