DOHA: The Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC), the creator of strategic stockpile of aggregates for the Government-led projects, have unloaded an estimated 4.6 million tons of Gabbro stones, in the first six months of 2015. QPMC imports primary construction materials to ensure the strategic reserve for Qatari state projects.
During the first half of 2015, Qatar Primary Materials company, have scored a new record for unloading Gabbro Rocks, which QPMC imports to ensure the strategic reserve for the Qatari state projects, and implementing Qatar's Vision 2030.
The QPMC announced that its Logistics & Supply Chain Division have unloaded a total of 78 Barges of Gabbro stones during the first half of this year. Since 2009, the Logistics & Supply Chain Division has experienced growth of over 100 percent in the handling of aggregates which have helped to cushion the possible volatility in the country' primary construction material market.
As per a recent agreement signed by QPMC and the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), QPMC is committed to supply 51 million tons of Gabbro and 41 million tons of limestone to Ashghal for the next five-years, beginning January 2016.
The agreement, considered to be the biggest of its kind in Qatar, was signed by Nasser Al Mawlawi, President of Ashghal and Abdulaziz Al Ansari, chairman of QPMC.
The agreement aims to provide Ashghal with gabbro and limestone in order to achieve its building and constructions programmes and projects in Qatar.
Furthermore, the agreement will have a significant economic impact, as QPMC is considered to be the backbone of infrastructure in Qatar, and appointed to contribute to securing primary materials to various projects in Qatar.
separate agreement
In a separate strategic agreement, QPMC recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Belgian engineering consultant, port and logistical operator Rent-A-Port to set up mining operations in the Khatmat Malaha area in Oman and initiate works on limestone and gabbro quarries in addition to a one kilometer long jetty to quarry and transport over 3 million tons of gabbro and marketable primary materials every year by barges to Qatar.
This comes as part of QPMC's pledge to create a strategic stockpile of aggregates for the country and operates for that matter, a jetty in Lusail area, a Gabbro Berth Terminal in Mesaieed Port, which will have an unloading capacity of 34 million tonnes a year by 2016, and a floating jetty and stockpile in Ras Laffan which as above-mentioned to import 7.5 million tonnes of gabbro per annum.
In addition to developing gabbro quarries outside of Qatar, mainly in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and Khatmat Malaha in Oman, and the sea logistic supply chain; QPMC also produces washed sand and is constructing a cement silo at the gabbro berths to store and discharge over 2 million tonnes of imported cement annually to meet any increased demand.
© The Peninsula 2015
