Construction work on the Al Shuwaimiyah Industrial Minerals Complex in Dhofar Governorate – one of the biggest mining ventures of Minerals Development Oman (MDO) – is set to begin in earnest next year.
The project will help unlock the mammoth limestone, dolomite and gypsum resources of the Wilayat of Shaleem & Al Halaniyat Islands, output from which will either be processed in value-adding domestic industries or exported globally to key markets in India, South-East Asia and East Asia via a new deep-sea port planned nearby.
Speaking to the Observer, Nasser al Maqbali – Chief Executive Officer, said the Al Shuwaimiyah Industrial Minerals Complex – a flagship initiative of MDO – is making good progress in its development.
“The project has advanced to the stage of conducting detailed economic feasibility studies, along with developing engineering designs for the port, as MDO has obtained the approval from the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology to establish a seaport linked to the project in the Wilayat of Shaleem & Al Halaniyat Islands,” Al Maqbali stated.
Covering concession areas of a massive 1,500 square kilometres, the Al Shuwaimiyah Industrial Minerals Project will seek to develop prodigious non-metallic minerals found in three mining concessions (61A, 61B and 61C) awarded to MDO in the wilayat.
The most prolific of the discoveries is limestone - a key commodity with wide application in cement and steel manufacturing, mining, paper production, water treatment and purification, and plastic production. Limestone reserves in the three concessions are estimated at 2.5 billion tonnes with purity pegged at 99 per cent.
Also found in abundance is dolomite with high concentrations of magnesium suitable for the fertilizer, steel and glass industries. Dolomite reserves are estimated at around 1.3 billion tonnes, with 19 per cent magnesium oxide (MgO) content.
Geological studies undertaken by MDO have also assessed the concession areas to hold a world-beating 960 million tonnes of gypsum (97 per cent purity), a non-metallic mineral used extensively in plaster, fertilizer and building materials, and a host of chemical compounds.
To help develop these rich resources, MDO plans to invest in a trio of mega-quarries each targeting the three mineral resources in question. At peak capacity, total output from the three quarries is projected at 40 million tonnes per annum, underscoring the massive scale of the Industrial Minerals project.
Complementing this infrastructure is a plan for a deep mining port at Al Shuwaimiyah on the coast to handle the huge volumes of minerals coming out of the project for global export. Dredged to a depth of 20 metres, the deep-sea port will feature at least three mineral berths, of which two will be designed to handle Panamax-size vessels while the third berth will be suited for Capesize carriers. Each of the berths will also be equipped with high-capacity loaders.
Following the completion of a preliminary feasibility study last year, the company has embarked on a detailed economic feasibility study along with the engineering design for a deep-sea port at Al Shuwaymiyah on the coast.
Also envisaged is a conveyor system that will carry mined ore from the complex to the port at the rate of around 2,000 tonnes per hour. It follows the completion of an economic feasibility exercise that assessed the conveyor system to be the most effective and cost-competitive logistics solution for the transportation of the ore to the coast.
Given the gigantic scale of the project, MDO is seeking a strategic international investor as a partner in the delivery of the giant venture. “Discussions are ongoing with potential international partners,” the CEO noted in this regard.
The strategic partner will not only invest in the upstream development of the Al Shuwaymiyah mineral site, but also support the construction of the deep-sea port, the official said. The facility will be designed and built to handle large volumes of dry bulk commodities as well as other material, he said, adding that port operations are planned all year round, including in windy summer conditions.
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