17 December 2008
MUSCAT -- International contractors are lining up to pre-qualify for a major contract involving the construction of a deepwater bulk jetty at the Port of Sohar. Total investment in the project, which will cater to giant ore carriers from Brazil, among other Sohar-based customers, is estimated at $200 million. Major contracting firms from Australia, South Korea, India, Canada, and the Netherlands, among other countries, are preparing to register by next week's deadline for the submission of Expressions of Interest (EoIs) in bidding for the project.
Only companies with the requisite expertise, resources and experience in executing deepwater marine projects of this nature will be invited to participate in the next phase of the competitive tender, say officials. The deepwater bulk jetty is a key component of a new phase in the expansion of the industrial port. The marine structure will support a huge pelletising plant and iron ore distribution centre being developed by Brazilian mining giant Vale at a cost of $1.356 billion.
Development of the deepwater bulk jetty is being overseen by Sohar International Development Company (SIDC), a new vehicle set up jointly by the Omani government and the Port of Rotterdam to support the expansion of the Port of Sohar. It involves the construction of a 600-metre-long jetty connecting to the existing breakwater by way of a 700-metre-long trestle. The jetty platform will consist of one import berth of 400 metres and two export berths of 600 metres. Under a separate contract, the approach to the jetty will be dredged to -23 metres, while the jetty itself will boast a draft of -25 metres to allow for giant ore carriers to be docked.
SIDC has also indicated that it is exploring opportunities for the construction of up to two platforms -- one on either side of the jetty -- to serve future customers at the industrial port. A contract award for the jetty project is expected in the second quarter of next year with actual commencement of work slated for mid-2009. When operational towards the end of 2010, the jetty will be capable of handling a new generation of Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs) of 400,000 DWT, which are the largest of their kind in operation. Vale announced recently that it will be investing $1.650 billion in the construction of 12 new VLOCs.
They are scheduled for delivery during the 2011-12 time frame and will represent a key part of Vale's logistic solution for the transport of iron ore from Brazil to its Asian clients, including the Middle East. The launch of the deepwater bulk jetty will also coincide with the scheduled start-up of operations at Vale's pelletising plant. The project, work on which will shortly get under way on a 103-hectare plot within the industrial port, is Vale's first wholly owned greenfield investment in the ferrous sector outside Brazil. Plant capacity in the first phase is set at nine million tonnes per year (mtpy) of direct reduction pellets. In addition, the Sohar facility will also serve as a distribution centre with a capacity to handle 40 mtpy of pellets.
MUSCAT -- International contractors are lining up to pre-qualify for a major contract involving the construction of a deepwater bulk jetty at the Port of Sohar. Total investment in the project, which will cater to giant ore carriers from Brazil, among other Sohar-based customers, is estimated at $200 million. Major contracting firms from Australia, South Korea, India, Canada, and the Netherlands, among other countries, are preparing to register by next week's deadline for the submission of Expressions of Interest (EoIs) in bidding for the project.
Only companies with the requisite expertise, resources and experience in executing deepwater marine projects of this nature will be invited to participate in the next phase of the competitive tender, say officials. The deepwater bulk jetty is a key component of a new phase in the expansion of the industrial port. The marine structure will support a huge pelletising plant and iron ore distribution centre being developed by Brazilian mining giant Vale at a cost of $1.356 billion.
Development of the deepwater bulk jetty is being overseen by Sohar International Development Company (SIDC), a new vehicle set up jointly by the Omani government and the Port of Rotterdam to support the expansion of the Port of Sohar. It involves the construction of a 600-metre-long jetty connecting to the existing breakwater by way of a 700-metre-long trestle. The jetty platform will consist of one import berth of 400 metres and two export berths of 600 metres. Under a separate contract, the approach to the jetty will be dredged to -23 metres, while the jetty itself will boast a draft of -25 metres to allow for giant ore carriers to be docked.
SIDC has also indicated that it is exploring opportunities for the construction of up to two platforms -- one on either side of the jetty -- to serve future customers at the industrial port. A contract award for the jetty project is expected in the second quarter of next year with actual commencement of work slated for mid-2009. When operational towards the end of 2010, the jetty will be capable of handling a new generation of Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOCs) of 400,000 DWT, which are the largest of their kind in operation. Vale announced recently that it will be investing $1.650 billion in the construction of 12 new VLOCs.
They are scheduled for delivery during the 2011-12 time frame and will represent a key part of Vale's logistic solution for the transport of iron ore from Brazil to its Asian clients, including the Middle East. The launch of the deepwater bulk jetty will also coincide with the scheduled start-up of operations at Vale's pelletising plant. The project, work on which will shortly get under way on a 103-hectare plot within the industrial port, is Vale's first wholly owned greenfield investment in the ferrous sector outside Brazil. Plant capacity in the first phase is set at nine million tonnes per year (mtpy) of direct reduction pellets. In addition, the Sohar facility will also serve as a distribution centre with a capacity to handle 40 mtpy of pellets.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
