MUSCAT, AUG 21
A concession for the development and operation of a fishery harbour at Liwa on Oman’s North Al Batinah coast will include a sizable plot of land suitable for an array of commercial investments, including potentially a beach resort, boat club and a gated community.
The Ministry of Finance, jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, launched last week a competitive process leading to the award of the Liwa Fishery Port project via the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) route. The successful bidder will secure a 30-year concession covering the development, management, operation and maintenance of the fishery harbour.
But in line with a broader national strategy to enlist private sector investment and expertise in the long-term development of the harbour project, the government has included a roughly 54,000 sq metre plot for a range of support services, as well as commercial investments. The latter type of investments include residential (gated community, for example), hospitality-related (beach resort), recreational (boat club), commercial (retail complexes), and industrial (warehousing, for example), the Ministry noted in a Request for Expressions of Interest (REoI) issued last week.
Already in place at the site are the trappings of a modern fishery harbour with breakwaters, quay wall, pontoon and beachfront for the landing of boats. These investments were made by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources during a construction wave that saw as many as eight fishery harbours established at key points along Oman’s lengthy coastline – aimed at supporting the growth of the fisheries sector.
Importantly, the concession agreement commits the successful private developer to investing in certain facilities deemed “essential” to the development and operation of a full-fledged fishery harbour. Included in the list are: Fish Auction & Market Complex, Cold Storage, Admin Building, Shops & Storage Rooms, Ice Plant, Fuel Supply Unit, Repair Yards, First Aid Room, and Security Room.
Located barely 15 kilometres from Sohar Port and Freezone, the Liwa Harbour is already a thriving hub for fishery activities involving around 1,000 Omani fishermen and over 300 fishing boats. Fish landings at the harbour totaled over 4,000 tonnes in 2021, representing a four-fold increase over the previous decade.
Interested parties have until September 2, 2023 to submit their EoIs in response to the PPP initiative – part of the Omani government’s bid to position fishery harbours as destinations for leisure and marine tourism as well. A concession award is likely by around April 2024 per a tentative timeline envisioned by the Ministry of Finance.
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