Duqm has potential to emerge as major minerals hub: CEO - By Conrad Prabhu - MUSCAT — Duqm Port is banking on the commercialization of the prodigious mineral wealth of Wusta Governorate to generate a sizeable chunk of the industrial hub’s cargo volumes over the long term. Nearly a dozen types of industrial minerals are located within easy proximity of the Sultanate’s newest maritime gateway, offering immense opportunities for their exploitation and commercialization, according to the CEO of Port of Duqm.
“Industrial activities linked to the commercialisation of the region’s mineral resources will represent an important mainstay of our business, alongside the proposed refinery project. The minerals sector and the refinery, along with their diverse downstream and ancillary elements, will be integral to the long-term success of Duqm Port and the adjoining Special Economic Zone,” Peter Broers told the Observer.
Abounding all around the Wusta desert are abundant reserves of commercially valuable minerals, such as limestone, dolomite, gypsum, silica sand, solar salt, kaolin, attapulgite, laterite, basalt, granite and gabbro. “Most of these deposits are located not far from the port itself, making them attractive for export-oriented development. We see enormous potential for investment in processing, blending, and other value enhancement activities. Also, with a gas pipeline coming to Duqm, there are opportunities for industrial ventures, such as cement and clinker plants, glass manufacturing, and so on. Indeed, given all of these possibilities, Duqm has the potential to emerge as a major minerals hub,” said Broers.
Investors, the CEO explains, can leverage the port’s ideal geographical location and multimodal connectivity to access markets across the Middle East, Indian sub-continent and East Africa. “We have an excellent road network connecting north and south Oman. Moreover, with a major rail network proposed to connect Oman with the rest of the GCC, all of the major markets in the Gulf will be within reach.”
According to the official, near limitless quantities of limestone — a key raw material in cement and steel production, among other applications — have been discovered barely 15 kilometres from the port. Also plentiful are high quality limestone deposits that can be polished and used as ornamental stone.
Dolomite, which is widely used in the construction sector and has various industrial applications as well, can be found in outcrops, especially in the Buah Formation some 25 km from the port. Industrial grade dolomite deposits are also abundant in south Oman.
Also available are vast quantities of gypsum, which has a variety of industrial and agricultural uses. Huge deposits have been struck in Ghaba and Shuwaymiyah, said Broers.
Silica sand, a resource widely used in the manufacture of glass, can be found in prodigious quantities within distance of the port. In Haushi, about 180km north of Duqm Port, geological surveys have pointed to the presence of 5-6 million tons of kaolin, a raw material for the cement industry. Small-scale mining of this mineral is already underway, yielding around 50,000 tons of kaolin annually, he said.
Sizable deposits of attapulgite have been discovered in Shuwaymiyah, some 350km south of Duqm. A cylindrically shaped clay mineral, attapulgite has unique gelling and absorption characteristics. It is used in paints, drilling muds, oil spill clean-up and other applications.
Laterite, commonly used in the cement industry, can be found on Masirah Island, among other locations in north Oman. Also available in abundance in Madrakah (80km from Duqm), among other locations is gabbro, a major raw material for the construction industry. High quality gabbro can also be polished into a beautiful dark ornamental stone, sometimes known as ‘Black Granite’. At Al Jubah, north of Duqm, are large granite deposits suitable for the production of ornamental stone.
Rounding off the list of key minerals is basalt, which abounds in the Al Serab area, some 100km north of Duqm Port. Basalt from this area can be potentially used in the manufacture of Basalt Continuous Fibre (BCF), which has wide application in the construction, automotive, electrical and aerospace industries.
Given the potential for mineral-based industrial activities at Duqm, a Dry Bulk Terminal with an indicative capacity of up to 5 million tonnes per annum is envisaged as part of the port’s Phase 1 development.
Port of Duqm Company SAOC, a 50:50 joint venture between Consortium Antwerp Port (CAP) and the Omani government, was set up in 2010 to run the maritime hub. CAP is supported by the Port of Antwerp (Belgium), one of Europe’s largest hub ports. Under an agreement signed with the government last April, the joint venture was granted a 28-year concession to co-invest, operate, manage and market Duqm Port.