Muscat: The Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad) marked a significant milestone with the inauguration of several key projects, including the marine fishing port, the Freight Services and Customs Terminal, and the main roads No. 1 and 5 at Duqm Port.

The opening ceremony was attended by Lieutenant-General Hassan bin Mohsen Al-Sharqi, Inspector General of Police and Customs, in the presence of several public and private sector officials.

During the opening ceremony, Eng. Ahmed bin Ali Akaak, acting CEO of Sezad, said: "With the completion of the Marine Fishing Port, the Shipping and Customs Services Station, and the main highways at Duqm Port, the primary and fundamental infrastructure system in Sezad is completed. He explained that the total cost of the three new projects amounted to about OMR177 million."

The largest commercial fishing port in Oman, the Sea Fishing Port in Duqm, spans 7.5 square kilometres and was built to accommodate the largest international commercial fishing vessels, with a depth of 10 meters, according to Engineer Ahmed Akaak. It is made up of two 3.3 km long breakwaters and 1.3kmF of permanently installed ship docks. Six floating berths and a dedicated quay for Coast Guard police boats have been made available to the port.

The customs station project, he noted, is part of the third package of projects at the Port of Duqm, which includes a number of buildings within the Port of Duqm. The main road No. (1) is approximately 3.93 km long and is a dual road with two lanes in each direction. Similarly, the main road No. (5) is around 3.3 km long and is also a dual road.

"Sezad represents a model of economic integration," Akaak continued, "as it includes several economic and service development zones: a fishing port, a multipurpose port, a dry dock for ship repair and development, multiuse areas for tourism, industry, and logistics, and a modern residential city. All of these are served by a road transport network that connects Duqm to the various zones in Oman."

Fishing port in Duqm
Fishery factories, fish sales outlets, artisanal and commercial fishing vessel servicing areas, and a fisherman's training centre are all housed within Sezad's fishing port. To facilitate fish transport vehicles, a network of paved roads has also been built. Both the fish and food industries complex and the fishing port span 7.8 and 7.5 km2, respectively. Both are important regional economic drivers that will help draw both domestic and foreign companies with a focus on fishing and related industries. Environmentally friendly green energy initiatives are something that the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) is also looking to accommodate at the Duqm fishing port.

It is worth mentioning that the Sea Fishing Port in Duqm is developing and implementing commercial facilities for Marsa Al Duqm Investment Company, which is a consortium led by several Oman Investment Authority companies, represented by Oman Fisheries Development Group, Asyad Ports Company, Al Wusta Fisheries Industries Company and Oman Food Investment Holding Company "Nataj". The consortium also includes the French Port of Lorient, which is one of the largest fishing ports in Europe.

Cargo and customs services terminal
The ceremony included the opening of the customs station within the projects of the third package at the Port of Duqm, which consists of buildings designated for the Port of Duqm Company. The station consists of a one-stop shop building, a building for truck registration, a building for transit permits, inspection buildings designated for the Royal Oman Police and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, as well as a medical clinic affiliated with the Ministry of Health. In addition, it has customs gates for the movement of vehicles into and out of the port, management of the import and export procedures, and utility facilities such as power plants, sewage stations, and firefighting water tanks.

The works of the freight and customs services station included infrastructure facilities containing a potable water network, sewage network, electricity network, communication, rainwater drainage channels, etc. in addition to 8 km of roads and parking lots for vehicles designated for the station.

Main roads No. 1 and 5 at Duqm Port
Roads (1) and (2) are vital projects in Sezad. Both roads connect the Port of Duqm area with the refinery, the city centre and many strategic projects that are being implemented in the Heavy & Industry Industries Zones. Road No. (1) Connect the port and the Dry Dock with National Road 32, which facilitates access to the port projects for those coming from the centre of Duqm and from the Governorate of Muscat via the Muscat – Sinaw – Duqm road. Thus, the road is the third thoroughfare leading to the Port of Duqm and the dry dock, while Road No. (5) stretches from the existing crossroads connecting both roads (1) and(6) and ends at the Duqm Port Bulk Liquid Dock.

The two highways have been built in accordance with normal requirements, with an average total width of 40.9 meters, an internal shoulder of 1.5 meters, an external shoulder measuring 3 meters, and a lane width of 3.75 meters. In general, the road is between two and four meters above the surrounding terrain.

Road No. (1) is a dual road that spans around 3.93 km and has two lanes in each direction. Similarly, Road No. (5) is a dual road that spans approximately 3.3 km.

The two service roads, each measuring approximately 6.7 km in length, the installation of LED lighting for the new roads, soil development projects (Sabkha), and the building of water drainage channels are all included in the two road (1) and (5)projects.

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