Port of Duqm to have cement, bitumen terminals
Port operator in advanced talks to develop a cement import terminal at the port
Oman’s Port of Duqm Company has revealed plans to set up major terminals for cement and bitumen imports at the port, as part of efforts to support the development of the region’s ambitious Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The port operator is in advanced talks with a “well-known Omani cement manufacturer” to develop a cement import terminal on the quayside at the port, said commercial director at Port of Duqm,ReggyVermeulen.
“At the same time, we are in discussion with one of the world’s leading producers of bitumen for the establishment of an import base for bitumen within the port,” said Vermeulen.
The cement terminal, which is planned to have a 150,000-tonne annual throughput capacity, will be linked through a system of pipelines and conveyors to a four-hectare plot earmarked by the port authority for use by the investor for storage, bagging and other purposes.
The capacity of the bitumen terminal is currently under review by the investor, Vermeulen said.
“A lot of road construction work is ongoing in Duqm and the wider Wusta Governorate, bitumen for which has to be trucked by road from Salalah and Sohar at enormous cost,” he said.
“With the establishment of an import terminal at Duqm Port, this much-needed commodity will become easily available, thereby easing the cost of projects involving the use of bitumen.”
