MUSCAT -- Singapore-based international consultant Jurong has been selected by the government to undertake the master-plan study of a major Free Trade Zone and Industrial Area at Duqm in the Wusta region. Jurong's appointment promises to impart new vigour to the Omani government's goal of developing Duqm into a major industrial hub anchored by a world-scale port and dry-dock. The consultancy services contract is also seen as a reaffirmation of the government's determination to proceed with the planning and implementation of key infrastructure components of the ambitious 'Duqm Development' initiative, notwithstanding the global economic downturn.
Jurong International will assist the Supreme Committee for Town Planning (SCTP) in its study of areas earmarked for different types of industrial and economic activities within the Duqm Development. All of these activities are proposed to be housed within a sprawling Free Trade Zone and Industrial Area, covering a total area of around 24,000 hectares, which will be established within distance of the site of Duqm port and dry dock complex currently under construction.
A preliminary study commissioned by the Supreme Committee has already identified the potential for a number of economic and commercial activities, notably heavy industry, oil refining, petrochemical processing, mineral, small and medium scale manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, fisheries, and so on. As part of its brief, Jurong will also study Duqm's suitability for a wide range of industrial and commercial investments based on the Wusta region's abundant natural resources, notably oil and gas, minerals, and fisheries, among others.
The Wusta region, for example, adjoins some of the richest fishing grounds in the Middle East, thus making Duqm a potentially attractive candidate for investment in fish processing and fishery-related commercial activities. In fact, a 1,600-hectare plot within the Industrial Area has already been earmarked for fishery-related investments.
Additionally, Jurong's study will take into account potential industrial and economic investment opportunities arising out of the dry dock nearby, as well as the hub's proximity to markets in the Gulf region and the Indian sub-continent. Opportunities for establishing export-oriented industries and economic enterprises within the FTZ, a roughly 1,200-hectare plot earmarked within the Industrial Area, will be evaluated as well.
Duqm is seen as particularly promising with regard to investments in mineral processing, cement plants, aggregates, import/export services, warehousing and storage, and so on. These prospects will be assessed by Jurong as part of its study. Also envisaged within the proposed Industrial Area is a world-scale integrated oil refinery and petrochemicals complex.
Before the global financial crisis and oil prices slump began to cast a shadow on many large-scale industrial ventures in the region, Oman's authorities had outlined plans for a huge oil refinery of around 300,000-400,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity, which in turn would support a number of downstream petrochemical units. These plans, which are currently on hold, are expected to be revisited when a recovery in the global economic slump begins to get under way.
Jurong's master-plan study will also take into account the utility requirements of the various projects likely to be established within the FTZ and Industrial Area, such as power and potable water, sewage and solid waste management services, transport corridors, cooling water intake and discharge, and so on. The Singapore-based consultant led a field of four international firms that bid for the consultancy services contract. Also in the fray were Konsult with Modern Engineering Consultancy, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and Pacific Consultants International.
By Conrad Prabhu
© Oman Daily Observer 2009
