Duqm Refinery - the largest single-phase downstream project in Oman - has received technical bids on its last package, which includes building the region’s largest crude tank farm.

Five groups were pre-qualified to bids for the third engineering procurement and construction (EPC) package of the multi-billion dollar project, which comprises the construction of pipelines and storage facilities at Ras Markaz.

Companies invited to place bids on the third EPC package are:

• Rotary Engineering (Singapore)
• Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)/Daewoo (South Korea) JV
• Kentz (Ireland/Canada)
• Saipem (Italy)
• Petrofac (UK)/ Samsung C&T (South Korea) JV

Scope of the package includes the following components:

• Terminal export facilities
• Crude pipeline (from Ras Markaz)
• Crude tank Farm (at Ras Markaz)
• Pumping station
• Associated facilities

The 230,000-barrel a day refinery, is being developed in the coastal town of Duqm and aims to transform the sultanate into a major downstream hub as it pushes to diversify its economy.

MEED reported that companies submitted  commercial bids for the first two packages of the refinery, which includes the process units and the offsite and utilities work, on 20 February.

MEED reported in late February that Oman Oil Company (OOC) has tendered the $400m planned crude storage facility at Ras Markaz. The first phase of the project within the Duqm special economic zone will have a capacity of six million barrels, with capacity for expansion up to 200 million barrels.

The initial phase will mainly be used to serve the estimated $6bn Duqm refinery, which once commissioned will produce diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), sulphur and pet coke as its primary products, to be traded from the adjacent port at Duqm.

The refinery at Duqm is a joint venture between OOC and Kuwait Petroleum International, which replaced Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) as joint shareholder last year.