UK engineer Atkins is has been appointed to the team working on the first phase expansion of the city of Duqm, a port town in eastern Oman.
The population is due to grow from 12,000 in 2010 to 100,000 by 2020.
The contract was awarded by the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm (SEZAD) for a 150 square kilometre development, comprising five distinct districts of existing and future residential, commercial, mixed-use, logistic and tourism developments.
Atkins’ role includes creation of the city masterplan, a market and a technical feasibility study, a strategic environmental assessment, sustainability assessment, concept design with engineering fit, tourism strategy, transport master plan and a drainage plan.
SEZAD wants Duqm City to become a "regional maritime and transit-trade hub, an important complex for export-oriented industries, and an attractive tourism destination on the Arabian Sea".
Marco Malpiedi, Atkins’ managing director for Oman, said: "We’ll be working in partnership with SEZAD and other stakeholders to create a city fit for its future needs. This is an exciting time to be part of such an important development in Oman’s economic expansion."
Image: Duqm, Oman (BF Gliddiar/Creative Commons)
