Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Sohar Port and Freezone has signed a contract with Omani company Nakheel Environmental & Industrial Solutions for the installation, operation, and maintenance of an Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN) within the freezone on July 4.
The signing of the contract is in line with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs’ (MECA) commitment to enhance environmental monitoring at Sohar port.
Mark Geilenkirchen, Chief Executive Officer of Sohar Port and Freezone, signed the agreement on behalf of the port, while Nakheel was represented by its General Manager, Ali Al Hussaini. Installation of the AQMN will start immediately and the system is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2018.
“Good environmental management is an essential element to sustain the development at Sohar Port; therefore, the monitoring of the environmental impact on the surrounding area is very important,” said Geilenkirchen, when asked about the reasoning behind the project.
“In addition, the establishment of AQMN is the actual beginning of integrated environmental monitoring, which will contribute to protect the environment within and around Sohar,” he added. “We are proud to have an Omani company that is equipped with the required skills, technology, and expertise to provide us with such a solution.”
The AQMN project will consist of a combination of fixed and mobile stations positioned at critical locations surrounding the port and freezone. The location was selected carefully through air dispersion modelling by Lakes Environmental Software AERMOD, which was conducted in coordination with MECA and relevant tenants in Sohar Port.
The AQMN, which will measure the ambient air quality surrounding Sohar Port in real time, is one of the key projects that will help ensure that the development of the port is sustainable and compliant with national and international environmental standards.
The monitoring is part of a long term strategic programme, which started in 2017, executed by the Sohar Port and Freezone in close cooperation with MECA. The programme aims to continuously enhance environmental management in the area and focuses on environmental permitting, compliance of all port and freezone operations with Best International Practices, and continuous monitoring of the impact of the port and freezone’s operations on the environment, including water, soil, and air.
"The Ministry is working in line with the requirements of each stage of development and continues in its efforts to improve and develop environmental management in coordination with its partners in various fields," said Ahmed Bin Zaher Al Hinai, Director General of Environmental Affairs at MECA.
"The AQMN project is aimed at strengthening the environmental monitoring system in Sohar Port, as it will provide integrated data on ambient air quality, which is directly connected to the MECA monitoring system and will largely replace the ambient air monitoring stations installed by individual tenants, which are often installed within their respective premises,” he added.
Al Hinai also said MECA is continuing to disseminate and develop this model in coordination with other industrial areas within Oman to encourage and create closer partnerships within the private sector in relation to environmental monitoring. He also expressed his appreciation for Sohar Port, as well as its tenants, for their cooperation in making this project a success.
The project is a great example of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) because the project is supported and financed by Sohar Port tenants and will be executed in close coordination with MECA.
“The development of the AQMN is great news for the local community surrounding Sohar Port, as it represents the continuation of the efforts being made by the freezone in cooperation with MECA and tenants to enhance the environmental monitoring in the area," said Al Hussaini. "Nakheel will work on installing fixed and mobile stations for monitoring of ambient air quality, and using state-of-the-art technologies that are in line with the United States Environmental Protection Agency standards."
"These technologies will also be connected to the Central Data Management System at Sohar Port to instantly read, record, and analyse the data collected," he added. "Also, this system will be connected with MECA’s monitoring centre to enable MECA to check the environmental status of Sohar Port directly. I am proud to announce that the AQMN at Sohar Port will be the first of its kind in the Sultanate.”
Nakheel Environmental & Industrial Solutions, a company established in partnership with Enviro & Industrial Solutions ME, aims to deliver the best, innovative, industry-leading, and cost-effective environmental and air quality monitoring and industrial process optimisation solutions in Oman and Qatar.
