UAE-based Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting has submitted the lowest bid of RO99.8 ($204m) for the contract to design and build a dual carriageway road at Oman’s Duqm Special Economic Zone.

Other bidders include:

• Premier International Projects: $226.3m
• Ozkar Construction (Turkey / Oman): $243.1m
• Strabag Oman (Austria / Oman): $259.5m
• Galfar Engineering & Contracting (local): $265.4m
• Combined Group Contracting (Kuwait): $285.7m
• Cengiz Construction Industry (Turkey): $316.7

Oman’s Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad), the project client, received bids for the contract in October last year.

The package, called National Route 32, will be a dual, six-lane carriageway, about 16 kilometres in length.

The scope of work includes the design and construction of bridges, service roads, roundabouts, tie-in roads to existing and under-construction roads, culvert crossings and associated utilities such as street lighting and drainage structures.

Sezad said it is committed to completing all infrastructure projects related to Duqm Port by 2020.

In August 2016, the authority awarded local firm Galfar Engineering & Contracting an RO60.7m ($157.6m) contract for maritime works at the port.

The construction contract covers dredging the harbour basin to up to six metres and land reclamation to enable the construction of port service buildings. The contract also covers the construction of breakwaters with a total length of 3.4km, and an 850m fixed pier for fishing purposes.

In late 2016, Sezad signed a $265m loan with the China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance infrastructure works at Duqm port.