Sohar Industrial Port Company has awarded Dredging International, a subsidiary of Belgium’s Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering (Deme), the contract to develop the first phase of Sohar Port South.

MEED understands the scope of works includes earthworks, reclamation and storm water works.

The letter of intent was awarded to Dredging International in October last year.

It is understood at least two other firms, local Sarooj Construction and the Netherlands’ Royal Boskalis Westminster, which was earlier presumed as the preferred bidder, submitted bids for the contract.

The Sohar Port South development will expand the port’s waterfront area on its southern boundaries and will increase the free zone’s 2,000-hectare land area by 10 per cent.

In October last year, Sohar Industrial Port Company invited firms to prequalify for the consultancy and front-end engineering and design (feed) contract for the project.

The scope of consultancy work includes preparing the feed and tender documents for dredging, reclamation, shore protection, jetties, storm water drainage solutions, and the demolition of the old jetty at Sohar Port.

It is understood the first phase of the reclaimed land will house a bunkering terminal, which Singapore-based Trescorp plans to start building next year.

The planned facility, which Trescorp says has a budget of $600m, will feature six deep-water berths with 25-metre drafts. One of the six berths will be equipped to receive very large crude carrier (VLCC) oil tankers with a capacity of up to 320,000 deadweight tonnes.