Oman Observer reported that the Port of Sohar is developing 2 large scale projects which promise to transform the wider Batinah region into a regional powerhouse for industrial scale mining, quarrying and mineral processing activities.

The first project is the development of a major deepwater bulk jetty to support the bulk shipping needs of Brazilian mining conglomerate Vale, which is building a huge iron ore pelletizing and distribution centre at the industrial port.

Construction work on the deepwater bulk jetty is well under way. A JV of Italy based international engineering contractor Saipem and leading Indian infrastructure firm AFCONS, is undertaking the design and execution of the jetty structure. The 1,380 meters long structure, which extends straight into the Sea of Oman, is itself a major feat of maritime engineering. Around 500 piles will be placed on which the trestle and the jetty platforms will be constructed.

Berthing pockets with a draft of 25 meters will allow for the docking of a new generation of ultra large ore carriers which are being owned and operated by Oman Shipping Company.

This jetty will take Sohar into the ranks of only a select handful of ports in the world with such deepwater capability. Van Oord of The Netherlands has made significant headway in dredging the approach channel and berthing pockets, having so far dredged some 8 million cubic meters from the seabed. The company has deployed one of the world's largest dredgers at site.

Port officials along with the contracting consortium are working towards a very ambitious schedule to bring part of the jetty into operation by the Q1 of 2011 to coincide with the scheduled commencement of Vale's pelletizing activities.

The jetty will be fully operational in the second part of 2011. The overall investment in the dredging, construction of the jetty and the supporting infrastructure will be USD 250 million.

The second project is the development of a General Dry Bulk and Aggregates Terminal.

Mr Jan Meijer CEO of Sohar Industrial Port Company SAOC said that the investment in the Dry Bulk Terminal will add to the versatility of the Port of Sohar. With this facility, we will have the capacity to handle bulk imports and exports of aggregates, as well as commodities like limestone, coal, cement and chromite, to name a few. As a big industrial port, our capability will not be limited to the handling of containers, general cargo, liquids and petrochemicals, but will also extend to all kinds of bulk commodities.

The port officials said that the new platform, involving an investment of several tens of millions of dollars, will have a capacity to handle 6 million tonnes to 10 million tonnes of aggregates and dry bulk commodities per year. Investments in the superstructure, such as the loading and unloading arms and other facilities, will be made by a platform operator, whose selection is currently being finalized.

Importantly, the platform is expected to encourage the growth of the aggregates industry in the hinterland of the port. Large volumes of aggregates are currently shipped to Qatar and Bahrain, among other markets, where a construction boom is underway. With the construction of a dedicated dry bulk jetty, authorities envision a growth in quarrying and mining activities along the Batinah region. Investors will enter the market to supply resource poor Gulf and Middle East markets using Sohar as a gateway.

The new Aggregates and Dry Bulk Platform is targeted for completion by the Q1 of 2012. Until that time, a temporarily facility could become available to start the operations already in 2010. In addition to the potentially promising investment opportunities arising out of the construction of the new aggregates and dry bulk platform, port officials envisage huge implications for employment generation.

Significant numbers of jobs will be created across the business chain, extending from quarrying and mining to processing and value addition, and transport and logistics. This is in addition to the thousands of jobs created during the implementation phase of both jetty projects.

(Sourced from Oman Observer)