Oman has asked companies to prequalify for the second package of the Duqm liquids bulk terminal as contractors prepare to bid for the first package.

The estimated $1bn liquids terminal will be large enough 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.

Companies have been given a deadline of 9 March to submit prequalification documents for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package two, which covers tanks, pipelines, loading arms and associated facilities.

Meanwhile, companies prequalified for package one have been invited to submit bids by 22 March. The cut-off date was extended from a previous deadline of 26 February.

The prequalifiers for package one – which covers design, dredging and infrastructure works – are:

• 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)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
• Van Oord (Netherlands)

The project and tendering process is being overseen by special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (Sezad).

The project 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.

The company has invited EPC contractors to submit bids