Proposals for the international tender launched by the government of Timor-Leste (East Timor) to set up a public-private partnership to build and manage the port of Tibar will be delivered by 19 November, according to an internal publication of Portuguese construction group Mota-Engil.

For this tender, which is focused on a “bay with good depth and shelter conditions, located on the north coast, about 20 kilometres west of Dili,” the Portuguese group created a consortium with Belgian group Besix.

Besides the Mota-Engil consortium – which is applying through Tertir (Mota-Engil Environment and Services) and its marine works division (Mota-Engil Engineering and Construction) and Belgium’s Besix, three other competitors qualified for the tender: Britain’s Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (POSNCO), a subsidiary of DP World, of the United Arab Emirates, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), of the Philippines and France’s Bolloré Africa Logistics (Bolloré AL).

“The three pre-qualified bidders are all multinational groups and operators of port terminals with strong operational involvement in Southeast Asia. These companies [and the Mota-Engil consortium] will have to submit their proposals by 19 November,” said the internal publication of Mota-Engil, cited by Portuguese newspaper Diário Económico.

The Tibar Bay port project provides a 30-year concession for the construction, operation and maintenance of the port, which is designed to be an effective alternative to the only port in Timor-Leste to receive international cargo, the port of Dili, “which already has high levels of congestion and whose location does not allow for significant expansion. “(macauhub/PT/TL)