MUSCAT: Port of Duqm has successfully started the loading of its first shipment of dolomite from the port’s commercial quay. A vessel will be loaded with three grades of dolomite in the next few days, totaling a volume of 50,000 tonnes and sail to India thereafter, according to a press release from the port.
The dolomite is produced in a quarry located about 30 kilometres from the port and proven to have a reserve of over 300 million tonnes of product. Expectations are that the mine will produce several hundreds of thousands of metric tonnes of product per month, of which the lion share will be exported via the port.
Dolomite finds its primer usage in the construction and steel industry, but one can also find applications in the production of ceramics, cement and glass.
Witnessing the start of loading Reggy Vermeulen, chief executive officer of Port of Duqm said: “One of the three major markets that port of Duqm is aiming for is the support of the mineral industry of Oman. This first shipment is a key milestone towards port of Duqm playing a significant role in the diversification of the Omani economy.”
“Having flows of minerals going through the port of Duqm is an enabler for the setting up in the mid-term of a proper mineral related industry cluster offering potentially numerous jobs for Omanis,” he added.
Port of Duqm is fully equipped to handle these first volumes in a minimum operational lead time and will develop itself further to become a major international export hub for industrial minerals in the next few years. Apart from Dolomite, also other important deposits have been found in the vicinity of Duqm such as gypsum, silica sand and limestone.
These products are expected not only to be exported from the port, but also feed important downstream industries fully taking advantage of Duqm’s prime location in the vicinity of the major shipping lanes and direct main line connectivity to its major export destinations.
