A tender has been floated for the construction of a new multipurpose port at Masirah Island off Oman’s east coast – a multimillion rial investment that will energise the growth of the island’s pivotal fisheries and fish processing sectors.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources is overseeing the implementation of the fisheries-centric harbour, although the facility will be designed and built to attract non-fisheries related investments as well. This is in line with the Omani government’s strategy to leverage the country’s expanding fishery harbour infrastructure in attracting investments in, for example, marinas for yachts and leisure boats, aqua sports and marine tourism, ferry services, and other commercial activities.
Local construction firms with expertise in marine infrastructure development have been invited to bid for the Ministry’s contract for the establishment of a mid-sized harbour featuring a pair of breakwater arms spanning a total distance of 4.1 kilometres.
The basin itself, which covers an area of over 1 million square metres, will be dredged to depths varying between 5 and 6 metres. In addition to a quay wall of about 590 metres, the facility will also include a number of pontoons for trawlers, fishing boats, yachts and other marine vessels.
Overlooking this marine infrastructure is a 240,000 sq metre plot of land which has earmarked for buildings, utilities and other services necessary to support the operations of the port.
Private investors have also been invited to set up commercial and economic activities to help maximize value creation from the new port. Opportunities for investment include boat and engine repair and maintenance workshops, ice-making plants, fish processing and fish meal projects, dhow tourism, and other such activities.
Significantly, the Masirah Multipurpose Port is one of several infrastructure projects green-lighted for implementation as part of Oman’s 10th Five Year Plan covering the 2021 – 2025 timeframe. At a Council of Ministers’ meeting presided over by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik last November, the project was hailed as one of several infrastructure initiatives that would underpin Oman’s socioeconomic development.
The contribution of Oman’s thriving fisheries sector to the national GDP continues to grow in step with investments in new harbour infrastructure, the expanding fleet of modern commercial trawlers with refrigerated facilities, the growth of value-added fish processing plants, the proliferation of aqua farms, and the introduction of modern fishing methodologies, among other trends. It totaled around RO 292 million in 2021, with a growth of 9.6 per cent over the previous year.
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