Oman’s Transport & Communications Ministry has cancelled a $328m contract with a joint venture of Malaysia’s WCT Berhad and the local Oman Roads Engineering Company to build the second phase of the Batinah Expressway in Oman.

WCT Berhad announced the cancellation of the contract in a statement on the Malaysian stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia, on 8 April. It did not give any explanation for the cancellation of the contract.

The joint venture was awarded the deal in August last year. The work was due to involve the construction of 45 kilometres of the planned 265km-long Batinah Expressway project.

In March last year, the ministry awarded the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting an estimated RO138.9m ($360m) contract to build the first phase of the expressway.