November 28, 2012 [Oman Observer] - Port of Duqm will invite experienced international companies to operate a number of terminals, as well as invest in tank farms and logistics infrastructure at the Sultanate’s newest maritime gateway on the Arabian Sea, according to a top executive of the port authority.
Peter Broers, CEO, said the Port of Duqm Company (PDC), a joint venture of the Omani government and Consortium Antwerp Port (CAP) of Belgium, will initially start up these terminals, but eventually hand them over to operators when business picks up at the port.
“We are looking for operators – companies that want to run terminals for containers, multipurpose cargo, bulk cargo, and liquid cargoes, as well as logistics operators to provide warehousing, storage, equipment and tank farming services. Later on, these terminal operators will be stakeholders in the port, while Port of Duqm will assume the role of regulator and port authority. Initially, however, Port of Duqm will start up these activities ourselves,” Broers said at a seminar organised by the port for the benefit of shipping agents.
A master plan drawn by the port envisages dedicated terminals for Container, Multipurpose Cargo and Bulk Cargo at commercial quays whose substructure has already been built as part of the Phase 1 development of the commercial berths.
Terminal 1 has been earmarked for the establishment of a Multipurpose Terminal that will primarily cater to project cargoes destined mainly for the oilfields of the central deserts of Oman. Suitably designed road networks equipped to handle heavy cargoes will enable the speedy and convenient transport of oilfield equipment to and from Duqm Port, he said. The terminal’s capacity is projected at 800,000 metric tons of cargo per year.
Earlier, in his presentation, the CEO provided an overview of the government’s vision to position the Duqm Special Economic Zone, anchored by a world-class port, as a “hub of the future”. Covering an area of 170 sq kilometres with 1,550 hectares of leasable space for logistics related investments around the gateway, Duqm Port holds tremendous promise, he said.
On the northern side of the basin is an area earmarked for the construction of a Liquid Jetty that will handle crude and refined petroleum products. Connectivity with a major refinery and petrochemicals complex, planned within the SEZ, is also on the cards, he added.
Terminals 2 and 3, with berths running a total length of 1,600 metres, will serve as Container Terminals with a capacity to handle up to 3.5 million TEU of containers.
Terminal 4, located close to the exit of the port, will be developed into a Dry Bulk Terminal that will handle volumes linked largely to the Wusta region’s prodigious mineral resources.
