Gulf Construction Online

UAE Focus

Update

01 May 2012

Arabtec wins three contracts

AN ARABTEC Holdings unit has won three contracts in Qatar and the UAE worth Dh504.02 million ($137.35 million), the Dubai builder said.

The largest of the contracts, worth a combined Dh455 million ($124 million), is from Qatar Petroleum for the construction of a workers facility to be built over three years.

Its unit, Target Engineering Construction, also won a Dh43.26-million ($11.78 million) contract for civil construction work in the UAE’s Das Island and a Dh5.76-million ($1.57 million) subcontract for shore protection works on Qatar’s Halul Island.

Meed honour for UAE projects

EIGHT UAE projects have been declared national winners of the Meed Quality Awards for Projects 2012.
The winners are Emirates Aluminium Company’s $6-billion smelter complex; Dubai Roads & Transport Authority’s Dubai Metro Green Line; Dolphin Energy’s $618-million Taweelah Fujairah pipeline; Abu Dhabi Municipality’s $68-million Sheikh Zayed Bridge; Tourism Development and Investment Company’s $260-million Saadiyat construction village; Damac Gulf Properties’ $175-million Ocean Heights; Sharjah Holdings’ Matajer Al Quoz; and Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort’s indoor vacuum sewage collection system.

Winners from projects completed in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be announced at the annual Meed Quality Awards for Projects, held on May 21, 2012 at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa, UAE.

Tamouh hands over 3,000 units

TAMOUH, the master-developer of Reem Island in Abu Dhabi, has completed the handover of more than 3,000 residential units at Marina Square, which forms part of the island development.

The retail and community precincts of Marina Square feature a boutique mall, medical clinics, pedestrian walk-ways and a five-star hotel around the marina with a series of yacht berths. All facilities will be open to the public by 2013 while basic amenities such as a supermarket and bank are due to open in the next couple of months. Residents now enjoy the fitness centres, children’s playgrounds and pools.

Al Ain development progresses

ABU DHABI’S Urban Planning Council (UPC) is taking ‘Plan Al Ain City 2030’, which it launched in 2009, to the next level by identifying new planning opportunities in the 64 districts that comprise Al Ain. The Development Plan for Urban Areas in Al Ain will be comprised of a series of planning policies and major projects that will directly benefit the communities located in these districts by enhancing the lifestyles of residents, under a year-long development phase.

DIFC plant ‘empowered’

EMIRATES Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), a leading district cooling service provider in the region, has deployed reverse osmosis (RO) technology in its Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) plant, leading to production of an average of 3,000 cu m of polished water per day.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower said: “The new technique adopted by Empower following the directives of the Dubai Government to reduce the consumption of desalinated water in the cooling process, will produce three times the current production of treated water at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), which is at 1,000 cu m per day.”

The DIFC polishing plant was designed slightly differently from the DHCC RO plant, with an ability to produce water of desalinated quality, thus minimising and eliminating the use of additional expensive specialty chemicals to treat the cooling towers and chillers. The RO technology is marked by low level of energy consumption with the power consumed ranging between 6 to 8 kW per hour for 1,000 gallons of fresh water produced from brackish water. This ratio varies in case of desalination of sea water between 35 and 40 kW per hour for 1,000 gallons of fresh water.

Dewa backs Verteco product

VERTECO has been awarded DubaiElectricity and Water Authority’s (Dewa) ‘Letter of Recommendation’ for its waterless urinal product. In support of its commitment to conservation and sustainability, Dewa has officially recognised and recommended Verteco’s green products that meet its water efficiency parameters.

“The Verteco retrofit waterless urinal system is a simple kit which fits into existing urinal bowls. It is a totally hygienic solution that reduces water consumption to zero and eliminates urinal odours. One Verteco waterless urinal could save as much as 35,000 gallons (158,900 litres) of water per year,” said David King, Verteco’s general manager for Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

Green honour for RAK Ceramics

RAK Ceramics, the world’s largest ceramic tiles and sanitary ware manufacturing company, has been honoured for its outstanding performance in adhering to environmental regulations.

RAK Ceramics was awarded the certificate by the Environment Protection and Development Authority (EPDA) at a ceremony held in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE last month.

Earlier this year, RAK Ceramics and EPDA signed an agreement for mutual co-operation in protecting and preserving the environment, whereby EPDA will provide technical training on environmental issues to RAK Ceramics, which in return will provide health, safety, security and environmental training to RAK EPDA employees.

Stanley opens store in Dubai

STANLEY Hand Tools, a leading provider of innovative solutions in hand tools, has launched its first standalone outlet in Dubai, which is also its largest store in the UAE.

Located on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, the store is spread across 1,500 sq ft, offering a one-stop-shop solution to customers looking for hand tools. It contains 2,000 stock-keeping units and offers hand tools and equipment that are required in the day-to-day use – both industrial and home.

Mohammed Pansari, senior manager at Al Wifaq General Trading, the distributor of Stanley Hand Tools in the UAE, said: “It is a great honour to bring all the Stanley Hand Tools under one roof closer to our customers in the UAE. We aim to offer variety and convenience for both the dealers and end-users.

“At Stanley, a team of industrial designers, process engineers and material scientists work constantly on new developments and testing. The developments are revolutionary and undergo ingenious ways of testing.”

Bechtel marks 50 years in UAE

BECHTEL this year marks 50 years in the UAE, having played a huge role in its infrastructure development – starting from the Murban oilfield development in 1962 to the current Borouge petrochemical complex in Abu Dhabi.

The company has completed more than 100 projects in this period with some of the significant projects including the Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s largest and busiest airports, as well as a number of major oil and gas, and power projects. In addition to the Borouge Three petrochemical complex in Ruwais, Bechtel’s current projects in the UAE include the Khalifa Port and Kizad (Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi) project in Abu Dhabi. Khalifa Port is a new-build, semi-automated container port, due to open later this year.

Dialight secures Dewa nod

DIALIGHT, a global leader in LED lighting technology, said that the company has received five letters of recommendation from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) in recognition of the high energy-efficiency standards upheld by Dialight’s key LED lighting products.

Five LED lighting models received official letters of recommendation at the SmarTech at Wetex, a showcase of energy and water-efficient products that was held in March, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). The recognition of the products’ energy efficiency by a third-party testing organisation is significant because it indicates that their ability to withstand local conditions, including sand, dust and heat, while delivering exceptional lighting and meeting stringent global standards for green operation, said a company spokesman.