15^th Sep. 2009

Sohar Industrial Port Company has awarded two contracts for construction work on a $200m deep-water port serving the Vale Industrial Complex in Oman.

Italy’s Saipem with India’s Afcons has won the contract to build the jetty. The contract covers construction of a 600-metre-long jetty and a 780-metre-long trestle bridge that will provide access onto the jetty from the mainland. Saipem will design and manage the project. Afcons will build the jetty.

The other bidders for the scheme were Geneva-registered Archirodon Construction (Overseas); a joint venture of Belgium’s Six Construct and Interbeton of the Netherlands; and Australia’s McConnell Dowell (MEED 28:8:09).

Van Oord of the Netherlands won the second deal for dredging a harbour basin and approach channel. The contractor will increase the depth of the existing approach channel from 18.5 metres to 23 metres, and dredging a 25-metre-deep basin next to the jetty.

The facilities will serve a $1.4bn pelletising plant and iron ore distribution centre being built at the site by Brazilian mining company Vale.

The finance for the project will be provided by a consortium of banks. The institutions are Bank Muscat, Oman Arab Bank, National Bank of Oman, Ahli Bank, Bank Sohar, Bank Dhofar, together with the State Bank of India.