Oman's Duqm earmarks $1bln a year for infra development

Oman's Duqm earmarks $1bln a year for infra development

Construction workers are seen at the site of the Abdali Project in Amman June 24, 2010. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed IMAGE ONLY FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSE

REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

29 May 2017

Muscat: Oman’s Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) plans to invest $1 billion per year for developing infrastructure at the free zone and adjoining areas, in a bid to attract both foreign and local investments.

These investments are for building the remaining infrastructure work at the port, a liquid berth, a fisheries harbour, main roads, power transmission and distribution lines and water pipelines, Lee Chee Khian, chief executive officer of Sezad, told Times of Oman. “We need to build roads and utility facilities,” he added. 

Duqm refinery development. source Oman Observer

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As many as $5 billion has so far been invested in developing infrastructure facilities at Duqm. It (the infrastructure development) will take a considerable amount of time, and the pace of development will depend on the demand for land from the private sector. The planned investment for developing infrastructure is for a long period, ranging from 30 to 50 years.

Power transmission lines

Duqm Authority will also invest in power transmission lines for supplying electricity to the proposed Ras Al Markaz crude storage facility, which is part of the refinery project, and is being built 60 kms from Duqm port.

Duqm Authority is also investing heavily in a major fisheries harbour, which is being built by Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company, and an integrated fish processing zone.

Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company had been awarded a contract to build the fishing harbor in August last year, at a contract value of OMR60.69 million. The scope of the work includes building marine and road-related works at the fishing harbour.

According to earlier reports, the proposed fishing harbour will accommodate not only Omani fleets, but also fleets from other countries passing through the Indian Ocean, and more than 60 processing plants and related facilities will be built in a large area at the back of the Duqm fishing harbour.

The proposed integrated fisheries hub at Duqm will be the largest facility of its kind in the wider Gulf region. Spread over an area of eight square kilometres, the hub will be anchored by a commercial fishery harbour that will be the largest of its kind in Oman. The multi-purpose port can accommodate fishing fleets, ferries and coast guards.

In the port, there will be facilities, such as a fish market, an auction hall, administrative buildings, workshops, some stores for fishermen, cafeterias and coffee shops.

The fully-fledged fishery industries complex project will include a research centre, a training centre, an international standards and quality assurance centre, as well as modern handling and cold storage facilities.

The government will invest in the infrastructure and other utilities and will prepare the required land on a lease basis for investors, with the aim of creating a fisheries hub in the region.

The proposed areas for private sector investment in the fisheries sector include value addition in fisheries products, certified fish seed breeding facilities, a fish feed industry and a fishing gear and equipment industry.

© Times of Oman 2017

https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/story/Omans_Duqm_earmarks_1bln_a_year_for_infra_development-ZAWYA20170529041731/

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