Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
Duqm: The planned additional drydock activities at Duqm are expected to give the Sultanate’s economy a boost, according to a senior official.
Eng. Said bin Hamoud al-Ma’awali, CEO of Oman Drydock Company, said: “We are planning to increase the number of drydock activities in Duqm, one of the best drydocks in the region”.
Eng. Al Ma’awali said in an interview published on Sunday in Duqm Economic magazine by the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD) for July 2018, “The plan of the company until 2040 includes increasing the number of activities from about 3 to 11, including the construction and repair of offshore platforms for oil production and the manufacture of steel structures used in the oil fields, repairing warships and manufacturing specialised vessels, such as large sea fishing vessels, towing boats, maintenance and repair of large yachts and converting vessels from one use to another and many other activities”.
He explained that if the company is able to implement this plan, the level of activity in the drydock will increase by about 10 times compared to the current level of activity, which means the provision of 9,000 direct jobs and 9,000 other indirect jobs, as well as increasing the level of economic activity of the drydock to about $500 million per annum.
He pointed out that the company does not wish to undertake the implementation of these activities themselves, but in partnership with the private sector.
The CEO of Oman Drydock Company further said that the company’s short-term plan until 2020 includes continuing to repair and maintain ships of various types and sizes, start building of ships and oil platforms, continue the Omanisation plan and provide technical support to transport companies and companies related to the logistics sector.
He added that the number of vessels repaired by the company stood at more than 580 vessels, and affirmed that the company’s ambition is to repair 200 ships annually by 2021.
