Qatar Daily News

The prime minister’s spokesman said the sale will help secure British jobs and “further enhance the strong strategic relationship between the UK and Oman”.

The aircraft are partly being built by BAE systems.

The company, which makes the aircraft with European partners, said: “Oman is a country with which we have a long and valued relationship and we stand ready and willing to support any requirement it has.”

Meanwhile, shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth said if a contract was signed, it would “demonstrate that the Typhoon is one of the leading swing role combat aircraft in the world”.
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Quoting various sources including IHS Global Insight, LR-Fairplay’s Daily News reports that Antwerp has reportedly signed a deal with Oman’s government to set up a company to manage the new port of Duqm in the Gulf country’s eastern Al Wusta region.

“The government and Belgian port of Antwerp will each have 50 per cent shareholding in the new company, called Port of Al Duqm,” Oman’s finance ministry said.

The accord was signed by the Oman’s transport minister Khamis bin Mubarak Al Alawi and Marc Van Peel, chairman of the Consortium Antwerp Port, Reuters reported.

“Duqm is a landmark project pushed by Oman that will complement the main industrial ports in Salalah and Sohar,” IHS Global Insight pointed out.
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The first hanging bridge in Oman, Khor Al Bath, connecting mainland Sur and the village of Aijah, has been completed. A project of the ministry of regional municipalities and water resources and executed by Strabag Oman, the bridge spans 204m with the biggest span measuring 140m. Construction of the bridge started in February 2008. The RO6m project will also reduce the distance between Al Aijah and Khor Bath villages in Sur by 10km.

The new marine port Shanna in Oman was officially opened at the weekend. The RO.9.7 million ($25.19m) was opened by the Transport and Communications Ministry at an official ceremony on Saturday.

Seven groups are now in the fray for a contract award linked to the development of two major Independent Power Projects (IPPs) at Barka and Sohar in the Batinah region. In contention are consortiums led by International Power, ACWA Power, Mapna Group, GDF Suez, Marubeni Corporation, KEPCO/Saudi Oger Ltd, and Lanco Infratech Limited.

Their bids were opened at the Tender Board yesterday, although offer values and technical proposals were not disclosed. An eight bidder, Balkan Energy, did not figure in the shortlist, presumably having failed prequalification criteria set by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), which is overseeing the procurement of the two IPPs in an international competitive tender.
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As global market fundamentals return to a more favourable outlook for 2010, Oman can be reassured that it has weathered the storm of 2009 without too much discomfort, and remains in good shape to take advantage of renewed trade and investment opportunities. The IMF anticipates 3.8% real GDP growth for the Sultanate in 2010 – down slightly on the predicted figure of 4.1% for 2009, yet with a more stable consumer price outlook of only 3%, down from 3.3%

The new projects to be implemented during 2010:
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South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co Ltd signed a 6.6 million rials ($17.1 million) contract to build a fuel storage tank for a refinery in Oman, a tender board official said on Thursday. The contract is for an additional fuel tank at the Mina Al Fahal refinery.
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