DUQM

Duqm, also known as Dukum, is located in the southeastern part of Al Wusta province in Oman. Originally consisting of 23 villages, it has less than 4300 permanent residents. Dugum is situated to the east of the Arabian Sea and is renowned for its pristine white beaches, clear blue waters, and gentle cool sea breeze. In the past, there were only a few scattered empty houses by the seaside in Dugum, where the families of fishermen who went out to sea waited for their loved ones to return. There are also some "tourist campsites" for tourists from northern and inland Oman, as well as other Gulf countries, to stay here and enjoy the pleasant seaside air and cool sea breeze from the Indian Ocean. From the map, in the northern part of Oman's over 1700 kilometer long coastline, there are the ports of Suhar and Muscat, and the southern end has the port of Sarala, with Dugum located in the middle of Suhar and Sarala. After the development of the ports of Muscat, Suhar, and Sarala to a certain scale, the construction of another port along the central coast of Oman was mentioned in the national development plan. Overview of Special Economic Zones According to the Royal Decree signed by Sultan Qaboos of Oman on October 26, 2011, the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm - SEZAD was officially established later that year. This makes Dugum the first and only economic zone in Oman. SEZAD is a government agency equivalent to a ministerial level, fully responsible for the overall planning, regulation formulation, investment attraction, project construction, and operation management of the Duqum Special Economic Zone. It is the highest authority of the zone and directly under the leadership of the Omani Cabinet. Although SEZAD was established at the end of 2011, the overall planning and construction of some projects in the Dugum Economic Zone began as early as 2006. At that time, Royal Decree No. 85 was issued, which decided to establish the city of Dugum in the central province and began the overall design of urban development planning, as well as the design and construction of infrastructure and public service facilities projects. According to the plan, the Dugum Special Economic Zone covers an area of 1777 square kilometers and has a coastline of 80 kilometers, making it the largest economic zone in the central and northeastern African region at present. According to SEZAD's description, the development vision of the Duhem Special Economic Zone is to build a logistics center on the Arabian Sea, a modern and attractive commercial port, a safe investment destination, and a famous tourist destination, thereby comprehensively promoting the diversified development of the national economy. The mission of SEZAD is to plan and construct the infrastructure and public service facilities of the special zone, develop and strengthen the business environment of the special zone, develop and utilize Oman's domestic human resources, widely attract domestic and foreign direct investment, ensure the implementation of various policies and regulations of the special zone, better serve the overall planning of the special zone, and protect the sustainable development of the ecological environment and natural resources. To achieve the above goals, SEZAD has positioned Dugum Special Zone as a large free zone. Here, foreign investors can establish 100% wholly-owned companies; Goods imported into the special zone will enjoy tax-free treatment; Investors can enjoy convenient and fast "one-stop" services that are popular internationally, including registration, obtaining business licenses and environmental permits. In addition, various policies and measures to encourage investors, such as company registration, employee recruitment, trade facilitation, land leasing, and tax incentives, are actively being formulated within the special zone and will be gradually announced and implemented. The Dugum Special Economic Zone is a modern integrated economy with eight relatively independent yet interrelated regions (systems): port area (including dry docks), industrial area, logistics system, fishery center area, new city (residential area), central business district (CBD), tourism and leisure area, and education and training center area. All regions are connected by modern and multifunctional transportation systems. Not only can convenient connectivity be achieved within the special zone, but in the future, there will also be air and sea transportation connecting other Gulf countries as well as countries in the Middle East, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. Dugum Port Area Dugum Port is a new strategic and world-class commercial port located in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. The water depth inside the port is 18 meters, and the length of the first phase terminal is 2.25 kilometers, with 8 commercial berths that can accommodate container ships, general cargo ships, and bulk carriers. In addition, there is a 1-kilometer-long government dock dedicated to the Royal Navy, Coast Guard, and fast ferry services. The port management of Dugum Port is carried out by a joint venture between the Omani government and the Belgian Antwerp Port Group, using world-class advanced technology and management models to improve work efficiency and reduce operating costs. At the end of July 2012, the first phase of the Duyum Port terminal, with a shoreline of about 300 meters (capable of accommodating two ships at the same time), began early operation to open up a convenient sea passage for the materials needed for the construction of the special zone. It is expected that by the second half of 2014, the infrastructure construction in the port will be fully completed, and all berths in the port will be fully open. The second phase of the port plan will increase the water area of the port area to 6.5 square kilometers and the commercial terminal to 13.5 kilometers (with 36 new berths available). In addition to the commercial port, there is also a dry dock terminal in the Dugum Port area dedicated to ship repair and maintenance, which is said to be the second largest facility of its kind in the Central and Northeast Africa region. It includes two dry docks, each 410 meters long, 14 meters high, and 10 meters deep, with widths of 95 meters and 80 meters respectively; In addition, there is a total length of 2.8 kilometers of dock, along with 17 supporting infrastructure such as factories, workshops, and mechanical equipment, which can simultaneously repair and maintain 10 ships, including 600000 ton oil and gas giant ships. The Dugum Dry Dock was constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding Engineering Company in South Korea and was completed and put into operation in April 2011. The Omani government also established the Oman Dry Dock Company (ODC) to manage it and hired a Korean as the general manager. By the end of December 2012, 119 ships had been repaired and maintained (47 in 2011 and 72 in 2012). This year, maintenance orders have been received for 75 ships, with an expected revenue of $56 million, nearly double the $30.52 million in 2012. In November 2012, the construction plan for the ODC8 10000 ton floating dry dock was approved by the government and will begin implementation in 2014. This will enable the company to undertake repair and maintenance services for all sea vessels, from small boats to super large vessels (ULOCs). Dugum Industrial Zone The planned Dugum Industrial Zone covers an area of 365 square kilometers (shared with the logistics center) and is connected to ports, airports, main roads, and future railways. The key development directions of industries in industrial zones include petrochemicals, hardware and mineral resources, building materials, inorganic chemicals, fisheries and aquatic products, food processing, life sciences, and related industries. To elaborate, the industrial zone is also divided into areas such as heavy industry zone, petrochemical industry zone, medium-sized enterprise zone, light industry zone, power generation and seawater desalination plant, waste treatment plant, and employee dormitory zone, as well as natural gas supply pipelines supporting production in the zone. The investment promotion work of Dugum Industrial Zone began before the establishment of SEZAD. Oman Oil Company (OOC) has signed a joint venture agreement with Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC) to invest $6 billion (50% each) in the construction of a new petroleum refining enterprise in the region - Dugum Petroleum Refining Company (DRPIC). The company covers an area of 900 hectares and is designed to process 230000 barrels of crude oil per day. This will be Oman's third refinery, expected to be completed and put into operation in 2017. Industry insiders predict that the construction of this refinery will drive a group of downstream petrochemical enterprises to settle in Dugum, creating more investment and employment opportunities for the special zone. In addition, the construction plan for a new cement plant has also been put on the agenda. The plant will utilize the resources around Dugum for production, with an expected annual output of 3-4 million tons. The products can meet the needs of the special zone construction and can also be exported. logistics center Dugum is located on the east-west shipping route from Asia to Africa and Europe, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, and holds a strategically important position. The logistics system of Dugum Special Zone includes storage facilities, distribution centers, and can also provide goods transit services. Dugum Port, Dugum Airport, road transportation, and future railway transportation will all provide support and services for the construction and development of the logistics center. The under construction Dugum Airport will be able to take off and land various types of passenger and transport planes. The airport terminal covers an area of about 5000 square meters and is designed to accommodate 500000 passengers annually, with an initial loading and unloading capacity of 50000 tons of cargo. The second phase of the airport project, which mainly involves infrastructure such as airport runways, aprons, parking lots, station power and drainage systems, has been completed by more than half, but there is still some time before the opening and operation. In order to facilitate transportation between Dugum and the capital city of Muscat, accelerate the construction of the special zone, and promote investment, Oman Airlines officially opened the Muscat Zaaruni route on November 19, 2012. Zaaruni is located near Dugum and was originally a dedicated airport for the Royal Oman Police (ROP). To alleviate the urgent situation, it will be used as a substitute airport for Dugum before its completion and operation. The road system within the special zone includes two main roads, 17 kilometers and 22.5 kilometers respectively, connecting major areas such as ports, airports, tourist areas, central business districts, and residential areas. The third main road under construction is about 37 kilometers long. In addition to connecting the main areas of the city, it also integrates into the national highway network and connects with other major cities in Oman. Dugum Fishery Center Oman has abundant fishery resources along its coast, producing a variety of fish and shellfish. In addition to supplying domestic demand, it also exports to neighboring countries, and some precious varieties are even exported to the European market. The planned fishery center area is located in the northern part of the special zone, covering an area of about 4 square kilometers, with an expected government investment of over 250 million US dollars. The area will include a fishing port with a water depth of 6 meters (or 5 meters), a dock length of 400 meters (or 200 meters), and the ability to accommodate various small and medium-sized fishing boats; A seafood trading market that allows for wholesale, retail, and export trade; A modern seafood processing and freezing center that is export-oriented and meets international standards; Fishery processing plants that can produce canned fish, fish oil, fishmeal feed and other products; Supporting facilities such as fish and shrimp farms, marine fisheries research and training centers, specialized areas serving offshore fishing vessels, and fishing vessel repair workshops. Ultimately, a national level, export-oriented fishing, processing, aquaculture, and distribution center will be established. The bidding work for the dredging project of Dugum Fishing Port began at the end of last year, and the project cost is expected to exceed 100 million US dollars. More than ten international and local companies with professional qualifications, including Chinese companies, participated in the bidding. Dugum New City and Central Business District The new urban area and central business district of Dugum cover an area of 23 square kilometers and will be developed into a sustainable community with modern urban planning while appropriately preserving Oman's traditional cultural style and regional environmental characteristics, setting a model for the modernization and commercialization of urban construction in the central province. The initial stage of the new city can accommodate 67000 residents, and it will develop to a population of 111000 in the future. In addition to residential buildings, the new city will construct government office buildings, a central business district, modern medical facilities, a youth activity center, indoor and outdoor sports venues, mosques, shopping centers, parks, green spaces, public libraries, and other high-level public services and social convenience facilities. Tourist and leisure area As an outward oriented economic zone, the development designers of Dugum not only create a production, operation, and living environment with international standards, but also pay great attention to preserving the traditional charm of Oman's historical heritage and natural beauty of the original ecological environment, and use it as a valuable resource to attract overseas investors and tourists. The tourism and leisure area in Dugum is approximately 26 square kilometers, with 18 kilometers of clean beaches that still maintain the original appearance of the Arabian Sea. The first high-end hotel in the special zone, the Dugum Crown Holiday Hotel, officially opened for business in April 2013. This is a four-star hotel with 200 guest rooms, including 11 business suites and 8 family suites. The hotel is managed by the international hotel industry giant InterContinental Hotels Group and is the fourth Crowne Plaza hotel opened by InterContinental Hotels Group in Oman. Prior to this, the newly renovated three-star hotel - City Hotel - reopened at the end of last year. And Dugum's first five-star hotel is under construction, which will have its own private beach and conference center, as well as a golf course and other leisure and entertainment facilities. In addition to high-end hotels by the sea, the designers of the special zone have also designated sufficient public beaches for ordinary citizens and tourists to share. In these public areas, various water sports and leisure activities can be conducted. Now, the development of the Dugum Special Economic Zone has begun, and the investment and construction boom is in full swing. In the foreseeable future, an emerging modern seaport city integrating characteristic industries such as petrochemicals and fisheries, logistics, and tourism will surely emerge along the central coast of Oman.