Contractors have been invited to submit bids in early March for a contract to build quarry and port facilities in Oman.

The 3 million tonne a-year gabbro quarry is being developed at Khatmat Milaha.

Firms are bidding to engineer, supply, install, construct and operate facilities including: crushing and screening facilities for 3 mt/y of gabbro, expandable up to 7mt/y. It will be capable of producing four grades of gabbro

There will also be 140,000 square metres of storage areas and associated infrastructure such as roads. There will be other utilities such as power, water, drainage, firefighting, and telecommunications.

The port involves the construction of a 1,450 metre-long causeway capable of accommodating 12,000-tonne barges or a 2,000-metre barge capable of accommodating 35,000-tonne barges; and two years of operation and maintenance.

The project has been planned for a number of years. In 2015, an agreement with Belgian firm Rent-A-Port to start work on the Khatmat Milaha quarry project. The project client is QPMC.