Sirte commercial port project contract with Royal Haskoning cancelled

The government of Libya has cancelled a contract signed earlier between the North African country’s Ministry of Transport and Royal Haskoning International Consulting, an independent international engineering and project management consultancy headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, for the implementation of the Sirte commercial port project.

Under the initial terms of the said contract, the Dutch Royal Haskoning was responsible for the planning and design of the entire port facility, including data collection, specification of additional surveys, planning, and final designs.

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The contract cancellation was announced by Mohamed Hamuda, the government spokesman, after a regular cabinet meeting held on Monday, September 27. Mr. Hamuda however did not give further explanation as to why that decision was made.

Overview of the Sirte commercial port project

In gestation for more than ten years, the Sirte commercial port project was expected to deliver a new structure that would serve as an additional hub, backing onto the old fishing port, on the Libyan coast for import/export and transshipment.

The new structure will have a 3,000-meter quay for a final capacity of around 8 million tonnes per year and mooring facilities with arrangements for containers, multipurpose/general cargo, bulk import (grain, etc.), ro-ro, and cruise ships.

The site has previously undergone seabed dredging on a volume of 30.000 m3, underwater embankment construction on a volume of 550.000 m³, underwater construction of crushed stone layer on 7.000 m² surfaces, and placement of 1900 concrete blocks with a nominal weight from 45 to 65 tons courtesy of Spanopoulos Group, a leading contractor in the marine construction field throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Red Sea.