A ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of infrastructure work at the US$10.7 billion Sino-Oman Industrial City at the city of Duqm will take place next week, paving the way for deals for the first projects at the site.
Ningxia China-Arab Wanfang, the company set up to develop the city, will start work on the project following the ceremony on April 19.
Jalal Al Lawati, a promotion manager for the Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority (Sezad), said that investors from Ningxia, in north-central China, are likely to attend and that a number of deals will follow.
“They told us that 10 investors will be there. However, there is no confirmation on that yet,” Mr Al Lawati said. He said the investors are likely to sign deals within the next few weeks to build new industrial projects.
“It will be within the coming month, but I don’t know when exactly.”
An initial 50-year agreement between Oman’s government and public and private companies from the Ningxia administrative region was signed last May. It is expected to lead to 35 projects, including construction of an oil refinery, a petrochemicals complex, a concrete plant, a steel smelter, a glass factory and an aluminium plant, among others.
Some of the early schemes that are expected to receive approval will include a methanol manufacturing plant, a solar power project, a pipe factory, a power plant and a potential tourism project.
Sezad signed a 107.3 million Omani rial (Dh1bn) contract with the joint venture of Turkish contracting firm Serka and Portugal’s MSF for the development of the second major infrastructure package (IP2) at the Port of Duqm in November. In February, it also signed infrastructure deals worth 84.7m rials for roads, stormwater drainage and dams throughout the city.
“For us, IP2 is very, very important,” said Mr Al Lawati, pointing out that this paved the way for commercial terminals at the port. “This is a game-changer for the entire Duqm [city].”
The work involves the construction of four container terminals – two of which will be about 1,600 metres long and 350 metres wide. It is scheduled to take 30 months to complete.
Mr Al Lawati said that Sezad is continuing to target “anchor” projects in fields such as oil and gas, mining or manufacturing that will help to drive the development of Duqm.
“We believe these anchor projects will drive investment downstream, it will drive investment sideways and it will drive a lot of project opportunities later on.”
A report published last week by BMI Research on China’s One Belt, One Road (Obor) initiative stated that the Middle East and North Africa region “will play a crucial role” in China’s delivery of its plans – especially for maritime trade routes.
“The [Obor] initiative will be specific in its targeting of port projects and associated infrastructure across the Middle East and Africa region as China looks to develop markets along the maritime route,” the BMI Research report said.
“China’s willingness to finance and build infrastructure aligns with several governments’ goals of economic diversification and becoming hubs for tourism and trade.”
mfahy@thenational.ae
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
