Oman’s Sohar Industrial Port Company is seeking firms to bid for two contracts for the repair of the seawater return canal and  a service berth at Sohar Port by 24 May.

Work on expanding the southern boundaries of the port is already underway.

The client awarded Dredging International, a subsidiary of Belgium’s Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering (Deme), contract to develop the first phase of Sohar Port South on 23 April.

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

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.

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.