Saudi Aramco has said it has awarded the first major contract in the planned construction of the $5.2bn-worth Ras Al Khair shipyard complex, designed to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil exports.
The oil giant has recently said it awarded the contract for dredging, reclamation and marine structures to a consortium comprising Saudi Archirodon Co and Huta Hegerfeld AG Saudia Co.
Aramco, which is leading construction of the shipyard, did not reveal the value of the contract but said it would be completed by 2020. Among other things, it includes building 4,500 metres of concrete quay walls and wharves, as well as breakwaters, at Ras Al Khair on the east coast.
Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, senior vice president for technical services at Saudi Aramco, has reportedly said: “It is an important milestone for the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services, the largest of its kind in the region. The complex is in line with the Kingdom’s economic diversification objectives; it will position the Kingdom as a strategic logistics hub and will create vast job opportunities.”
The contract is reportedly the first major undertaking for the maritime complex where contractors will conduct dredging and reclamation of approximately 37mn cubic metres of fill, in addition to ground improvement over an area of 7.4mn square metres.
According to the Saudi Gazette, the initial phase of the contract will be completed by 2020.
Saudi Aramco has said that the project will comply with all of the Saudi government’s environmental and sustainability requirements
