The Industrial Port of Sohar in Northern Oman is developing two large-scale projects which will transform the wider Batinah region into a regional hub for industrial-scale mining, quarrying and mineral processing activities, said Sohar Industrial Port Company (SIPC).

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 pelletising and distribution centre at the industrial port, the SIPC said in a statement.

The construction work on the deepwater bulk jetty is well underway, it said.

A joint venture between Italy-based international engineering contractor Saipem and leading Indian infrastructure firm Afcons is undertaking the design and execution of the jetty structure, it added.

The 1,380-metre-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 m will allow for the docking of a new generation of ultra-large ore carriers owned and operated by Oman Shipping Company.

Van Oord of The Netherlands, one of the world’s leading dredging companies, has made significant headway in dredging the approach channel and berthing pockets, having so far dredged some 8 million cu m from the seabed.

Port officials and the contracting consortium are working towards a very ambitious schedule to bring part of the jetty into operation by the first quarter of 2011 to coincide with the scheduled commencement of Vale’s pelletising 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 is estimated to be $250 million.

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

“The investment in the dry bulk terminal will add to the versatility of the Port of Sohar,” said Jan Meijer, the chief executive officer of SIPC.

“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.” he added.