STRABAG Oman has won a RO81-million ($210 million) contract to build access roads to Duqm port and dry dock and divert some of the wadis, a senior official of the Ministry of Transport and Communications told Times of Oman.
Said bin Hamdoon Al Harthy, undersecretary for Ports and Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said that the scope of work included construction of more than 30 km of roads, work related to diverting wadis and associated infrastructure development.

Strabag won the keenly-contested road project against competition from five other international and local bidders who had submitted several bids, with different options. Although the Turkey-based Assignia Infraestructuras was the lowest bidder with its RO70.65 million ($183.48 million) bid price, the authorities awarded it to the second lowest bidder Strabag. Other contracting firms in the race were Consolidated Contracting, Galfar Engineering and Contracting and National United Engineering Constructing.

The $2.6-billion Duqm port is expected to commence operation by the middle of next year. Most of the tenders for the project has already been awarded to several contracting firms and are under different stages of implementation.

Duqm port, which is between Sultan Qaboos port in Muscat and Salalah Port, will have a 3,000-m-long berth.

Al Harthy said the government is attaching priority for developing several ports, including Duqm, Sohar and small-to-medium ports.

“We need to compete with regional and international ports,” he said. “We are trying our best to make sure that our ports are ahead in quality, speed and safety.”

Referring to a plan to shift import and export activities of Muscat’s port to Sohar, Al Harthy said this will be done in a careful manner, and after discussions with all parties concerned.