11 September 2008
MUSCAT -- Ten firms have submitted firm bids for a government contract to design and supervise the expansion of the Port of Salalah. The expansion will help the Sultanate's premier transshipment terminal keep pace with accelerated demand for container terminal capacity, as well as ensure the port's competitive position in the region for the foreseeable future. In the race for the consultancy contract, bids for which closed earlier this week, are Consulting Engineering Services, Halcrow International Partnership, Dar al Handasah, Khatib & Alami, Jurong International Consulting, Korea Port Engineering Corporation, Sakoo Consulting Engineers, Cowi & Partners, Conser & Partners, and Sellhorn.
The selected consultant will advise the Ministry of Transport and Communi-cations on the development of a new terminal at the Port of Salalah, initially consisting of three deepwater berths. The new berths -- numbered as 7, 8 and 9 -- will add 1,350 metres of new quay wall to the port, boosting its overall quay length to 3,555 metres. With these three berths, the port's capacity will be augmented by a further three million TEU (twenty foot container equivalent units) to a total of nine million TEU. Under an agreement concluded by port authority Salalah Port Services (SPS) with the Omani government in May this year, the latter will undertake the dredging and reclamation component of the expansion project. SPS, for its part, will undertake the construction of the quay wall, and handle the backfill and infrastructure works.
Berth 7 is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2011, with berths 8 and 9 scheduled for completion in 2012. The Port of Salalah handled 2.6 million TEUs of containers during 2007, representing a growth of around 10 per cent over volumes handled in 2006. The addition of a fifth deepwater berth last year has boosted the port's overall container handling capacity to 3.8 million TEU. Construction of Berth 6 is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2009. Berths 5 and 6, which will collectively add 969 metres of new quay wall to the terminal, are built at 18 metres draft to handle larger vessels.
Burgeoning investments in new container terminals and port capacity in the wider Gulf and Middle East region have made it imperative for the Port of Salalah to pursue, albeit belatedly, an aggressive expansion strategy. Total regional volumes (Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Indian sub-continent) were estimated at 51.5 million TEUs, 74 per cent of which were transshipment-related. Roughly 65 per cent of the regional transshipment volume is contributed by the Middle East market (Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Arabian Sea), with the Port of Salalah having a 10.5 per cent share of this market.
MUSCAT -- Ten firms have submitted firm bids for a government contract to design and supervise the expansion of the Port of Salalah. The expansion will help the Sultanate's premier transshipment terminal keep pace with accelerated demand for container terminal capacity, as well as ensure the port's competitive position in the region for the foreseeable future. In the race for the consultancy contract, bids for which closed earlier this week, are Consulting Engineering Services, Halcrow International Partnership, Dar al Handasah, Khatib & Alami, Jurong International Consulting, Korea Port Engineering Corporation, Sakoo Consulting Engineers, Cowi & Partners, Conser & Partners, and Sellhorn.
The selected consultant will advise the Ministry of Transport and Communi-cations on the development of a new terminal at the Port of Salalah, initially consisting of three deepwater berths. The new berths -- numbered as 7, 8 and 9 -- will add 1,350 metres of new quay wall to the port, boosting its overall quay length to 3,555 metres. With these three berths, the port's capacity will be augmented by a further three million TEU (twenty foot container equivalent units) to a total of nine million TEU. Under an agreement concluded by port authority Salalah Port Services (SPS) with the Omani government in May this year, the latter will undertake the dredging and reclamation component of the expansion project. SPS, for its part, will undertake the construction of the quay wall, and handle the backfill and infrastructure works.
Berth 7 is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2011, with berths 8 and 9 scheduled for completion in 2012. The Port of Salalah handled 2.6 million TEUs of containers during 2007, representing a growth of around 10 per cent over volumes handled in 2006. The addition of a fifth deepwater berth last year has boosted the port's overall container handling capacity to 3.8 million TEU. Construction of Berth 6 is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2009. Berths 5 and 6, which will collectively add 969 metres of new quay wall to the terminal, are built at 18 metres draft to handle larger vessels.
Burgeoning investments in new container terminals and port capacity in the wider Gulf and Middle East region have made it imperative for the Port of Salalah to pursue, albeit belatedly, an aggressive expansion strategy. Total regional volumes (Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Indian sub-continent) were estimated at 51.5 million TEUs, 74 per cent of which were transshipment-related. Roughly 65 per cent of the regional transshipment volume is contributed by the Middle East market (Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Arabian Sea), with the Port of Salalah having a 10.5 per cent share of this market.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
