Project record

Menzel Abderrahmane fishing-port extension and coastal esplanade

Artisanal fishing boats in the Bizerte lagoon beside Menzel Abderrahmane fishing port, Tunisia, in the official environmental assessment

European Investment Bank / DGPAq / MARITEC; baseline port photograph from the 2023 EIA, not evidence of current construction

Tunisia's fisheries authority awarded ETEP the combined Menzel Abderrahmane fishing-port extension, rehabilitation and east-side coastal esplanade works for TND 20,018,762.19. The official TED record gives a 28 April 2025 contract date and a stated 28-month duration. The EIB-published design basis includes a 493 m east breakwater, new quays and jetty, a one-hectare yard extension, three water-renewal culverts and about 5,400 m3 of planned dredging. A July 2025 local report only established site-location preparations, while a February 2026 parliamentary visit said the project remained delayed. No later official source proves technical works started.

Project signal

Award in Tunisia

Current status ETEP signed the TND 20,018,762.19 works contract on 28 April 2025, but Tunisia's parliament still described the port and esplanade project as delayed during a February 2026 site visit; physical start, achieved quantities and supervision award remain unverified Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Tunisia / Africa

Segment

Fishing-port expansion, dredging, breakwater, quay and coastal esplanade

Status

ETEP signed the TND 20,018,762.19 works contract on 28 April 2025, but Tunisia's parliament still described the port and esplanade project as delayed during a February 2026 site visit; physical start, achieved quantities and supervision award remain unverified / Confirmed

Last checked

9 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Fishing-port expansion, dredging, breakwater, quay and coastal esplanade is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Tunisia Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, represented by the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGPAq); APAL is owner for the esplanade component
Delivery parties
Entreprise de Travaux et d'Etudes de Projets (ETEP) - confirmed main works contractor, Supervision, scheduling, coordination and control consultant under EIB-GtP/47/2024 - award not publicly verified, Dredging, marine plant, quarry and armour rock, precast quay, survey, environmental monitoring and other downstream parties - not publicly identified
Contract route
Single works lot under reference EIB-GtP/12/2024. TED published tender notice 371316-2024, then contract award notice 327455-2025 on 21 May 2025. The award names ETEP, records signature on 28 April 2025 and reports TND 20,018,762.19. A separate consultancy tender, EIB-GtP/47/2024, sought supervision, scheduling, coordination and control; no public award was located.
Execution window
TED states a 28-month contract duration but does not establish a public commencement date. A 17 July 2025 local report said locations for site facilities had been identified while administrative steps remained. Parliament's 14-15 February 2026 field visit then described the project, which had been due to start in July 2025, as delayed. Site preparation should not be converted into a technical-works start.
Works package
The selected design provides a 493 m east breakwater; a 3,000 m2 reclaimed platform and 60 m shellfish quay at -3.5 m hydro; a 75 m block quay at -2.0 m hydro; a one-hectare yard extension with careening area and winched slipway; a 55 m by 4 m jetty; rehabilitation of the existing jetty; three basin water-renewal culverts; port buildings and utility networks; and an east-side coastal esplanade. The EIA plans about 3,600 m3 of basin maintenance dredging plus 1,800 m3 of berth-trench dredging, with dredged material confined and reused in reclamation and about 22,000 m3 of imported fill.
Marine interfaces
The works combine breakwater construction, dredging, quay and jetty works, reclamation, water-renewal culverts, a slipway and live fishing activity inside a constrained lagoon port. The EIA calls for dredging after the new breakwater, mechanical excavation with barge support, no dredging outside the port, reuse of dredged material in the yard, turbidity controls and H2S detection. These are planned controls, not evidence of execution.
Commercial evidence boundary
The official award value is TND 20,018,762.19. The 2023 EIA's TND 11,727,047 excluding-VAT estimate covers the port design baseline and is not directly comparable with the later combined port-and-esplanade award. The difference is not evidence of an overrun. No public source reviewed identifies paid amounts, variations, final account or lower-tier package values.

Contract and delivery chain

Named roles and open packages

Named appointments are shown against the workstream they cover. Unallocated packages remain open until a project source identifies the responsible party.

Main works contract

EIB-GtP/12/2024 fishing port and east-side esplanade

Named party
Entreprise de Travaux et d'Etudes de Projets (ETEP)
Status
Confirmed
Source position
The official TED award reports a TND 20,018,762.19 winning tender, contract signature on 28 April 2025 and a stated 28-month duration. Source
Selected marine design

Breakwater, quays, jetty, yard, slipway, culverts and dredging

Named party
DGPAq / MARITEC design basis
Status
Reported
Source position
The EIB-published EIA provides the selected geometry and plans 5,400 m3 of dredging, material reuse and 22,000 m3 of imported fill. These are design quantities, not achieved quantities. Source
Owner's engineer

EIB-GtP/47/2024 supervision, scheduling, coordination and control

Named party
Consultant not publicly verified
Status
Not evidenced
Source position
EIB published the consultancy tender with an 18 February 2025 deadline, but no public award or selected consultant was located. Source
Physical delivery

Mobilisation and marine works

Named party
DGPAq, APAL and ETEP
Status
Not evidenced
Source position
A July 2025 report described site-facility locations and pending administrative steps. Parliament's February 2026 site visit still described the project as delayed; no dated official start, production or acceptance evidence was located. Source
Downstream supply chain

Dredging, marine plant, rock, quay, survey and environmental services

Named party
Not publicly identified
Status
Not evidenced
Source position
The reviewed TED award contains no disclosed subcontractor, subcontract value or lower-tier marine package identity.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

Parliamentary site visit records continued delay

Members of parliament inspected the port, noted deteriorated infrastructure and said the port-and-esplanade project, expected to start in July 2025, remained delayed.

Source

Site-facility locations identified, with administrative steps pending

The local report used launch language but only established locations for site installations and outstanding administration. These preparations do not establish that dredging, breakwater, quay or esplanade work started.

Source

TED publishes the ETEP contract award

TED fixes the contractor, TND 20,018,762.19 winning tender, 28 April signature and 28-month duration while leaving commencement and subcontracting undisclosed.

Source

Separate supervision procurement opens

DGPAq tendered owner-side supervision, scheduling, coordination and control for both project components. No public award result was located.

Source

EIB publishes the environmental and social design basis

The EIA exposes selected geometry, dredging quantities, material reuse, live-port sequencing and environmental controls, but remains a design record rather than execution evidence.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Contractual notice to proceed and verified technical-works commencement date
  • Supervision consultant award under EIB-GtP/47/2024
  • Dredging contractor, excavator, barge and survey team
  • Breakwater core, filter, armour rock and concrete supply chain
  • Quay blocks, jetty, slipway, culvert and port-building packages
  • Actual basin and trench dredging quantities and material test results
  • Dredged-material confinement, imported fill and reclamation acceptance
  • Turbidity, H2S, water-renewal and live-fishing controls
  • Hydrographic acceptance, port release, esplanade handover and final account

Related records 2

Reporting status

Award, confirmed confidence

Last checked 9 August 2026 across 8 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 9 August 2026 Cited sources 8

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 8