MORE than a dozen local and international construction firms are preparing to bid for a contract to build one of Oman’s largest fishery harbours at Duqm in Wusta Governorate.

Estimated to cost more than $100 million, the project will underpin the development of a major fishery hub planned as part of an ambitious special economic zone (SEZ) envisioned at Duqm, the Oman Observer reported.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is overseeing the implementation of the Duqm facility, which is expected to become operational in 2016. The harbour will help harness the potentially vast marine resources of the Wusta coast and is also expected to attract investments in modern fishing fleets, fish processing plants, aquaculture projects, and other fishery-related activities.

Bids for the Duqm fishery harbour construction tender were due to close on April 29. The firms expected to participate in the competitive tender include Consolidated Contractors Company, STFA, Galfar Engineering and Contracting, Al Hassan Engineering, Khimji Ramdas Contracting, Oman Shapoorji Construction, Teejan Trading, Sarooj Construction, Al Shanfari Trading, Arabian Projects and Transport, Strabag Oman, and Golden Way Trading.

The Duqm project is expected to surpass in size large-scale fishing ports either in operation or under development at Sohar, Barka, Sur and Raysut, among other locations.

The facility, originally intended to be located north of Duqm Port, will now come up at a site south of the seaport.

As a greenfield development, the Duqm fishery harbour will include all the facilities of a full-fledged fishing port, complete with breakwaters, dredged basin and access channel, jetty and pontoons. Plans drawn up by the ministry envisage a large facility with a pair of breakwater arms extending to a total length of almost 3.5 km.

Further, as there is no naturally available depth in the area, the selected contractor will be required to dredge the port basin to –6 m (or –5 m as an alternative). Part of the dredged material will be used to reclaim land.

A key component of the project is a 400-m-long quay wall (200 m as an alternative), built with precast concrete blocks. A boat ramp will also be constructed to haul out boats for repairs and maintenance.

Also envisioned are a guided floating pontoon, marina facility, two concrete pontoons for fishing vessels, berthing and mooring aids. Engineering consultancy services firm CES is supporting the ministry in the design and supervision of the project.

In Phase Two of the SEZ development, aquaculture-related projects are proposed to be integrated into the scheme, alongside plans for fishmeal and oil plants, electronic trading platforms, and an enhanced cluster of fish processing units.

A 24-month timeframe (27 months with the alternative option) has been stipulated for the execution of the fishery harbour project.