Duqm is home for the largest multi-purpose fishing port in the Sultanate of Oman, which is 10 metres deep, consisting of 2 breakwaters that are 3.3 km- long, a 1.3-km fixed berth and 6 other floating berths.
In addition, there is land designated for tourism purposes associated with the port, which is connected with the Fisheries Industries Zone and other projects in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm via a road network.
The multi-purpose fishing port has high potentials to serve a number of sectors, including fisheries, fruits and vegetables, livestock and tourism. The port brings additional yards that can be used for tourism purposes and containers handling food activities and it can attract the wooden ships supplying foodstuff. Besides, the port is characterised by its ability to host commercial fishing activities.
The The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) represented by the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (SEZAD) received the multi-purpose Fishing Port in Duqm from the main contractor in 2022 and SEZAD handed over the port to the consortium, led by the companies of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), represented by the Oman Fisheries Development Company (FDO) and Oman Food Investment Company. The consortium also includes the French Lorient Keroman SEM which manages one of the major fishing ports in Europe.
Joint efforts are on in exploring greater opportunities in the bilateral relations between Oman and France especially in blue economy, in the fisheries and Agri-food sector and to share expertise and investments in these areas with special focus on the Duqm Multi-Purpose Port Project, which is a collaboration between the Fisheries Development Oman (FDO) Company and Port of Lorient in France.
The Multi-purpose Fishing Port is one of the key projects of the Special Economic Zone at Duqm that seeks to enhance the zone’s capacity to take advantage of the fisheries available in the zone and the surrounding areas and utilise the distinctive location of Duqm in general at the Arabian Sea. The fisheries complex of the port will further enhance the use of Duqm Airport services through the air freight terminal, promote re-export sector, create job opportunities and contribute in activating fisheries sector in the Sultanate of Oman with the objective of diversifying the economy, enhancing food safety, transferring modern global technologies to the Sultanate of Oman and creating added value to fisheries.
As a prelude to this long efforts, Omani and French stakeholders gathered over a business conference titled "Exploring Omani-French Opportunities in Oman's Fisheries and Agro-food Sector” under the auspices of Eng Yaqoub bin Khalfan al Busaidy, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Fisheries last year where global opportunities in Oman's fisheries and Agro-food sector, particularly through the Duqm Multi-Purpose Port Project the aim of which was to connect stakeholders from France and Oman in different economic sectors and highlighted the investment opportunities in Duqm.
The panel session comprised Nabil al Bimani, CEO Fisheries Development Oman (TBC), Dr Issa bin Mohammed al Farsi, Director of the Fisheries Development Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Dr Hussain bin Samh al Masrouri, Director General of the food safety and quality centre are present while the French side was represented by Maurice Benoish, CEO SEM Lorient-Keroman, Louis Le Bourlout, Shareholder SAS Keroman, and a representative of French companies interested in the project. Ahmed bin Saleh al Harthy, Director of Oman Vision 2040 at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources was the moderator of the session.
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