International companies have submitted prequalification documents for a tender to build a liquids terminal at the port of Duqm in central Oman.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract will be tendered by Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority (Sezad), which is overseeing the development of infrastructure at Duqm.

The 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.

The EPC contract is expected to be tendered in the third quarter of 2015 after the prequalifiers have been shortlisted. The target for the contract award is the fourth quarter.

The work will be split into two packages:

• Dredging & reclamation, and marine/jetty infrastructure
• Topside facilities including tanks

The second package for topside facilities is to be tendered separately by Duqm Petroleum Terminal Company at a later date.

Australia’s WorleyParsons was contracted for the project’s front-end engineering and design (feed) study.

Duqm Refinery & Petrochemical Industries Company (DRPIC) will build a 230,000 barrels-a-day (b/d) refinery at the same time as the new terminal is being constructed. The refinery will handle the import of crude from outside Oman and the export of refined products to the international market.