Gulf Construction Online

Regional News

In brief

01 December 2019

434 hotel projects under way

A total of 434 hotel projects accounting for 119,991 rooms were under construction in the Middle East and 135 projects and 24,939 rooms under construction in Africa during October, said hospitality sector analytics provider STR in a new report.

The Middle East total represented a 5.7 per cent year-over-year decrease in the number of rooms in the final phase of the development pipeline. The region reported an additional 28,541 rooms in the final planning stage and 45,273 rooms in planning.

Between the Middle East and Africa, five countries showed more than 4,000 rooms under construction. The UAE led with 52,810 rooms, which represented 30.1 per cent of the market’s existing supply, followed by Saudi Arabia (38,912 rooms, 38.3 per cent of existing supply). Other countries among the top five were Qatar: 14,318 rooms (52.9 per cent); Oman: 5,049 rooms (26.6 per cent); and Egypt: 4,976 rooms (2.9 per cent).

KBR wins base ops services deal

KBR has been awarded a $23.7-million contract modification by Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia (Navfac EURAFSWA) to provide base operations support services at Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

This 12-month contract includes a three-month option period and extends the original five-year contract, which was awarded in June 2014. Previously, KBR performed similar work at Isa Air Base for four years under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) III and IV contracts.

Under this contract modification, KBR will continue to provide a myriad of services, including galley, facility and grounds maintenance, custodial, pest control, power generation and distribution, diesel fuel operations, reverse osmosis water purification and distribution, and base vehicle maintenance.

Oman to set up integrated dry port

Oman-based Khazaen Economic City (KEC) has signed an investment agreement with a leading logistics companies to operate and manage the first integrated land port in the economic city of Al Batinah South Governorate, marking a key partnership between the public and private sectors.

As per the deal, Marafi, Khimji Ramdas and Al Madina Logistics Services will lease a total of 250,000 sq m of which 100,000 sq m will be developed and managed in the first stage at an initial investment of $10 million, reported ONA, citing Transport Minister Dr Ahmed Al Futaisi.