The three consortiums competing for the tender to build and operate the USD 100 mn 6 October dry port will submit their offers in May, the Finance Ministry announced (pdf). The winning consortium will enter into a public-private partnership (PPP) with the General Authority for Ports and Dry Land to build and operate the project. Under the terms of the agreement, full ownership will be transferred to the state after 30 years. The project is comprised of cargo zones, customs clearance offices and multipurpose storage facilities linked to key seaports. The qualifying consortia were first announced by the government in June last year.