Oman’s National Ferries Company is inviting firms to submit bids by 8 November for the design and construction contract of two passenger car ferries.

The ferries will be used for Shannah ferry port, which is on the east coast of Oman and a ferry port that is on the island of Masirah.

Oman’s Transport & Communications Ministry officially opened Shannah ferry port on 6 February 2010. The project includes a 1,170-metre dock, a 37-metre wave breakwater and a 318-metre marine dock.

Oman is currently upgrading its ports infrastructure. The Transport & Communications Ministry extended the bid deadline to 27 September for the estimated $120m expansion of the general cargo terminal at Salalah port (MEED 7:9:10).

The expansion of the general cargo terminal involves building an additional 1,200 metres of multi-purpose berths, a new northern breakwater, facilities for dry-bulk commodities and a new liquids jetty. The expansion will increase capacity at the terminal to 40 million tonnes of dry-bulk commodities and five million tonnes of liquid products each year.

This is just part of the $645m expansion of Salalah port that will be carried out over the next 20 years.