DSE wins jordan resort deals
01 July 2014
DRAKE and Scull International (DSI) says its subsidiary Drake and Scull Engineering (DSE) has won two major contracts for the Saraya Aqaba Resort, a mixed-use, themed development around a man-made lagoon in Aqaba, Jordan.
A consortium comprising UAE-based Arabtec, Consolidated Contractors Company, and Drake and Scull Construction (DSC) – the general contracting business stream of DSI – is the main contractor for the Saraya Aqaba Resort. The consortium has awarded sub-contracting deals worth a combined value of Dh259 million ($70.5 million) to DSE.
Under the terms of the agreement, DSE will provide complete MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) services for two five-star hotels managed by Dubai-based international hospitality chain Jumeirah Group; two five-star hotels run by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, a global chain of hotels; and 12 uniquely designed luxury villas.
Additionally, DSE will undertake the complete design, supply and installation work for a district cooling plant with a total capacity of 8,000 tons of refrigeration (TR) along with the seawater intake and pumping station for the entire resort. Both projects are already in progress and are expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
Khaldoun Tabari, CEO and vice-chairman of DSI, a regional leader in the integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of general contracting, engineering, rail, oil and gas, water and wastewater treatment, says: “The project award demonstrates our expertise and capability in delivering projects of large scale and prestige all across the region. Drake and Scull Construction is currently undertaking the general contracting works at Saraya Aqaba which is progressing on schedule, and the additional scope for Drake and Scull Engineering demonstrates our capability to develop projects in the greater Levant region.”
He adds: “The project win is key to our strategic expansion plans in Jordan, which is currently witnessing a resurgence in the real estate sector.”
The Saraya Aqaba Resort is a premium hotel and leisure development located on the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. The man-made lagoon will add almost 1.5 km of beachfront to Aqaba city lying on the Red Sea. The massive project encompasses luxurious hotels managed by world-class hospitality operators, upscale retail outlets at Souk Saraya, specialty restaurants, a beach club, a kids club, Wild Wadi Aqaba Water Park by Jumeirah Group, and sports complex, among others.
Separately, DSE is currently executing the MEP scope of services worth Dh160 million ($43.5 million) at the St Regis Hotel, Amman, which is scheduled for completion in 2016. Its total project awards to date have reached approximately Dh4 billion ($1.08 billion) in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Jordan, India Romania, Turkey and Egypt.
In the UAE, DSI has just been awarded a Dh110-million ($30 million) contract for the MEP works on Plaza View, a mixed-use development in Abu Dhabi. The contract was awarded by Al Fara’a General Contracting (AFGCO), which is the main contractor for the project, which comprises a five-level basement, ground and mezzanine floors, and 20 storeys of residential and commercial space.
Under the terms of the agreement, DSI is expected to complete its MEP services for the project by end of 2016. The scope of work includes complete engineering detailing, procuring, installing, testing, commissioning and handover of MEP systems, including water supply works, drainage, fire-fighting, central LPG, air-conditioning and ventilation, and the complete electrical system on site.
Tabari says: “With increasing demand for residential and commercial properties in Abu Dhabi, the construction sector in the capital city is expanding rapidly.”
“Abu Dhabi is a vital market for DSI, forming nearly 11 per cent of our backlog. The Plaza View project will be a welcome addition to the portfolio of hospitality projects that we’ve delivered in the UAE in the last 48 years,” he adds.
DSI is a regional market leader delivering world-class quality projects via end-to-end solutions that provide integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of general contracting, MEP, water and power, rail and oil and gas.
