Bids were to be submitted on 23 July by seven international and local contractors for two contracts covering the project’s first phase.

The client on the scheme, the Royal Commission for Jubail & Yanbu, has informed the contractors that following a review of the port’s masterplan, the quay has been postponed and the bidding process abandoned.

“We have decided that we do not need this extra capacity,” says one official at the commission. “We looked at the masterplan and decided to postpone the project for the moment.”

The work had been divided into two packages worth $500-600m each. The first engineering, procurement and construction package included dredging and reclamation work.

The second package included the construction of five berths (MEED 28:3:08).