Oman’s Transport & Communications Ministry (MOTC) has prequalified at least five groups to bid by 15 January for the contract to design, build and maintain a road linking the towns of Dibba and Khassab in the Musandam governorate.

The groups are:

• Galfar Engineering & Contracting (local) / Impresa (Italy)
• Kolin (Turkey) / NCC (local)
• Larsen & Toubro (India) / Makyol (Turkey) / SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Salini Impregilo (Italy)
• Strabag (Austria) / Ozkar (Turkey)

The planned 65-kilometre road will commence near Al-Khalidiya and extend eastwards, passing Lima before ending near Dibba.

The road project will have nine major junctions, 10 tunnels and 19 bridges.

Musandam is located on a peninsula in the Strait of Hormuz, and is geographically isolated from the rest of the sultanate by the UAE.