Dredging International nets work on Oman port expansion

Dredging International Earth Moving Worldwide has been awarded a contract for the development of Phase 1 of the SOHAR Port South construction package in Oman. 

The US$24 million agreement will develop the first 50 hectares of useable land within the new port expansion.

This includes the engineering, land reclamation and stabilisation and construction of the usable land, together with soil improvement, 1,310 metres of shoreline protection, storm water drainage and navigation aids.

The SOHAR Port South development involves extensive land reclamation, which will add 200 hectares in total to the present 2,000 hectares capacity.

The reclamation project will involve more than 750,000 cubic metres of earthworks to reclaim the area from the sea. The shoreline protection will require more than 450,000 tonnes of rock.

The work is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. 

It follows SOHAR Port and Freezone signing an agreement with Sohar Flour Mills (SFM) for the lease of a 10-hectare plot within the port to construct and manage 12 grain storage silos, each boasting a storage capacity of 13,000 tonnes.

In its first phase, the facility will have a wheat milling capacity of 550 metric tonnes per day, with a potential to expand to 2000 metric tonnes per day in later phases.

The SOHAR food cluster will also house a sugar refinery; food production, packaging and distribution facilities planned to follow.