MUSCAT: Oman’s plans to turn its new Duqm port into an international naval support centre made progress on 30 March, when the UK announced a multi-million pound joint venture (JV) that will “provide vital engineering work and support to the world’s naval vessels”.
The UK government indicated there will be a permanent Royal Navy presence at Duqm and the port will be used by the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, as well as other naval vessels. “A permanent presence at Duqm would enable the UK to shape the development of the naval facility to support future carrier capability and wider British maritime needs in the area,” it said.
The development will be carried out by a JV of Babcock International, the UK’s leading naval support services company, and the Oman Drydock Company (ODC). Operated by the South Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, ODC was established in 2006 to run the ship repair yard that was subsequently constructed at Duqm.
The port at Duqm is part of an ambitious project to turn a fishing village into a major logistics and business hub, which also includes the construction of a new airport and plans to build rail and pipelines to connect the port with other members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).
The Royal Navy of Oman (RMO) will reportedly have a base there, but satellite imagery of the port on 17 December 2015 showed no RMO vessels. Captain Wim Aertbelien, the harbour master at Duqm, told Oman’s HI Times newspaper in May 2015 that the new port was already being regularly used by foreign naval vessels.
“We have received 30 navy ships so far from America, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Netherlands, France, UK, and GCC countries,” he said. “We have plenty of space to offer for the navy ships. We provide them with fresh water.
