In April 2004 the Sohar Industrial Port in Oman opened to commercial vessels, where less than five years earlier there was just a stretch of beach.
Halcrow, in association with local firm Ibn Khaldun Consulting Engineers, carried out the detailed design and planning that turned the port from master plan to reality.
The port is intended as a cornerstone of the planned diversification of the Omani economy away from its current reliance on oil revenues and has been designed to serve an aluminium smelter, a petrochemical project, a refinery and other industrial developments in the northern part of Oman. It is located on a low-lying sandy coastline 220km northwest of Muscat on a site that is fully exposed to the open sea.
Construction of the new port involved building 7km of breakwaters in sea up to 14m deep, 17 million cu m of dredging, 1,350 hectares of reclamation and construction of 1,500m of quays, two dry bulk berths, two liquid bulk berths, roads, buildings and services. The main harbour is designed to take post-panamax container ships and bulk ships up to 100,000 dwt.
Halcrow’s detailed design included mathematical modelling of the wave climate outside and inside the port in order to study the impact of wave penetration into the harbour, and ship manoeuvring simulation modelling for assessing the design of the approach channel, entrance and berth layout within the basin. We also supervised physical model tests by Hydraulics Research Wallingford of various breakwater cross-sections to compare alternatives using artificial armour units.
From 1999 to 2004 Halcrow and Ibn Khaldun provided a team of 22 staff on site to supervise the phased construction of the $250 million port development. Construction was carried out under six separate contracts, beginning with construction of the breakwaters and followed in 2000 by the dredging and reclamation.
Contracts for the construction of the quay walls were awarded in 2000and 2002.
Since the project started, Halcrow and Ibn Khaldun have designed a further six bulk liquid berths, and a common seawater intake and return system to provide cooling water to the port’s industries.
The port is now operated by the Sohar Industrial Port Corporation, a joint venture between the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam.
Halcrow, in association with local firm Ibn Khaldun Consulting Engineers, carried out the detailed design and planning that turned the port from master plan to reality.
The port is intended as a cornerstone of the planned diversification of the Omani economy away from its current reliance on oil revenues and has been designed to serve an aluminium smelter, a petrochemical project, a refinery and other industrial developments in the northern part of Oman. It is located on a low-lying sandy coastline 220km northwest of Muscat on a site that is fully exposed to the open sea.
Construction of the new port involved building 7km of breakwaters in sea up to 14m deep, 17 million cu m of dredging, 1,350 hectares of reclamation and construction of 1,500m of quays, two dry bulk berths, two liquid bulk berths, roads, buildings and services. The main harbour is designed to take post-panamax container ships and bulk ships up to 100,000 dwt.
Halcrow’s detailed design included mathematical modelling of the wave climate outside and inside the port in order to study the impact of wave penetration into the harbour, and ship manoeuvring simulation modelling for assessing the design of the approach channel, entrance and berth layout within the basin. We also supervised physical model tests by Hydraulics Research Wallingford of various breakwater cross-sections to compare alternatives using artificial armour units.
From 1999 to 2004 Halcrow and Ibn Khaldun provided a team of 22 staff on site to supervise the phased construction of the $250 million port development. Construction was carried out under six separate contracts, beginning with construction of the breakwaters and followed in 2000 by the dredging and reclamation.
Contracts for the construction of the quay walls were awarded in 2000and 2002.
Since the project started, Halcrow and Ibn Khaldun have designed a further six bulk liquid berths, and a common seawater intake and return system to provide cooling water to the port’s industries.
The port is now operated by the Sohar Industrial Port Corporation, a joint venture between the Government of Oman and the Port of Rotterdam.