Companies have submitted engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) bids on the first package of the Duqm liquids bulk terminal in Oman, according to sources familiar with the project.

Bids were submitted to the Special Economic Zone Authority for Duqm (Sezad), which plans to build an estimated $1bn liquids terminal to handle the import and export requirements of the proposed new refinery at Duqm as well as other future oil and petrochemicals industries at the port.

Package 1 covers design, dredging and infrastructure work. Companies submitting bids include:

• Boskalis Westminster (Netherlands)
• China Harbour Engineering (China)
• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)
• Dredging International (Belgium)
• Huta Marine Works (Saudi Arabia)
• Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Penta Ocean Construction Company (Japan)
• STFA Group (Turkey)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
• Van Oord (Netherlands)

The scheme is due to be completed before the Duqm refinery project is commissioned, which is likely to be in 2020 at the earliest.

Duqm Refinery – a 50:50 joint venture of Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) and state-run Oman Oil Company (OOC) – plans to establish a 230,000 barrel-a-day (b/d) refinery at the port.

Sezad intends to carry out the works in two packages. Companies were given a deadline of 9 March to submit prequalification documents for package 2, which covers tanks, pipelines, loading arms and associated facilities.