Bid for Tripoli Port operator in October

Local firm wins infrastructure work contract

A tender for the operation of the Port of Tripoli will be opened on October 23, said Ahmad Tamer, director of Tripoli Port Authority. The bid is for a 25-year Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) management contract for cargo handling, civil works, and all other facilities at the port.

The contract was due to be awarded through a tender finalized in June. The tender was cancelled due to the absence of competing bidders. Seven companies had reportedly applied for the tender, but six of them later withdrew. The only bidder left was UAE-based firm Gulftainer which presented a $65 million-offer.

The company which wins the BOT contract will finance, design, procure, build, operate, and maintain civil works and buildings at the port for 25 years. At the end of the contract period, it will transfer the facilities to the Tripoli Port Authority.

Tamer said a tender for the construction of infrastructure at the port was recently opened. The winner was a local company. Tamer said the name of the winner and the size of the offer will be announced after Cabinet’s approval. Infrastructure construction includes building administrative premises, warehouses, a fire station, control rooms, a water reservoir and pumping station, a power generating plant, and four electrical substations. The project also includes the construction of flexible asphalt pavements. This project is estimated to cost around $55 million. “Work will begin once the contract is awarded,” said Tamer. It is expected to take three years to complete.