Muscat: The Special Economic Zone of Duqm (SEZD) is witnessing rapid changes on various levels. In the first half of 2019, the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) signed 34 new usufruct agreements. The number of new projects is 16 projects in the industrial sector, 11 projects in commercial real estate, four in tourism and three in fisheries.
Omani investors accounted for 73.5 per cent of the total number of projects. The investors who signed usufruct agreements with SEZAD in the first half of 2019 included investors from China, India, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon.
In the first half of 2019, SEZAD signed a number of agreements in to set up road links with the various investment zones.
The Authority intends to pave above 86 km new roads over in the coming period.
According to statistical data issued by SEZAD, the number of infrastructure projects under implementation reached 26 by the end of 2018, of which 15 are in the construction sector, 11 in the consultancy services, 8 in tenders and 4 in maintenance.
The multi-purpose port of Duqm is one of the most important government projects implemented in SEZD. It is distinguished by its geographical position on the international shipping lines and near the African and Asian markets. The inner basin of the port is 19 meters long and includes a commercial berth of 25.2 km long and 350 metres wide.
The port also includes a one-kilometre governmental berth. The port of Duqm began to benefit from the infrastructure of the first port package by early operation of the cargo and equipment handling activities, especially those associated with the oil and gas fields.
This year witnessed the official opening of Duqm Airport, which accommodates 500,000 passengers annually. The airport has a runway designed to receive all types of aircraft.
The Duqm refinery is the largest joint venture between two Gulf states. It is a joint venture between Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC). The project’s construction packages include the main CPUs of the refinery, public facilities, project support services, in addition to oil storage facilities at Ras Markaz and 80 kilometres oil pipeline from Ras Markaz to the refinery complex.
The refining capacity is 230 thousand barrels per day. The refinery signed last year financing agreements with a number of local and international financing agencies worth $ 4.6 billion, through 29 funding institutions from 13 countries and guarantees from three major global export credit institutions.
SEZD is currently witnessing the establishment of the fishing port and the fish industries complex. In 2019, SEZAD increased the depth of the port to 10 metres instead of 6 metres to attract large fishing vessels operating on the high seas and increasing the economic value of the port, which will become the first port in the Sultanate with such depth.
SEZAD is also working on the preparation of the comprehensive plan for the fisheries, which aims to prepare a comprehensive plan for all possible infrastructure projects for the fisheries industry in an effort to maximize investments in the fishing port.
In addition to the government projects, SEZD is witnessing the implementation of several projects for the private sector.
The number of usufruct agreements with the private sector reached 196 agreements at the end of 2018 worth $ 14.2 billion.
— ONA
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