MDO seeks bidders to develop minerals port in Oman

State-backed Minerals Development Oman (MDO) has issued a tender to design and build a dedicated minerals port on Oman’s southern coast.

The last date of submitting the bids by local and international companies is September 6 2026, the tender document said.

The Al Shuwaymiyah Port, located in the Dhofar governorate, is planned as a greenfield deepwater facility to handle the export of gypsum, limestone and dolomite.

The port is expected to open in the first half of 2029.

Al Shuwaymiyah Port is set to become a landmark infrastructure addition to Oman’s southern coast – “a new maritime gateway to the Sultanate of Oman”, MDO chief executive Mattar Al Badi said in a LinkedIn post.

In November, MDO signed a $530 million agreement with India’s JSW Group to develop the south minerals project on Oman’s southern coast.

The venture also included developing and operating a port with an annual capacity of 27 million tonnes and a total project capex of $419 million, JSW said in a statement.

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In March MDO’s top line fell 39 percent to OMR10 million ($26.3 million) in 2025, down from OMR16.6 million in 2024.

Total assets rose 22 percent from 2024 to OMR227 million, driven by the continued expansion of investment projects.

Oman has offered international companies the chance to invest $1.5 billion in five mineral mining concessions this year.

The five mines, located in the mineral-rich towns of Sohar, Dhofar, Duqm and Al Dhahirah, have a combined deposit of 25 million tonnes of copper, chromite, gypsum, silica and magnesium.

Last year Oman’s mining sector attracted investments worth OR350 million.