Gulf Construction Online

News

Update

01 March 2005

43 firms vie for Bubiyan island project
Kuwait City: Over 40 international and local firms are vying for lucrative infrastructure deals to develop Kuwait’s Bubiyan island into the largest regional commercial seaport, a government team said.

The government’s Divided Zone Agreements team, responsible for major development projects, said that 43 international and Kuwaiti companies are being evaluated for the first construction phase of the project.
Kuwait in November approved the ambitious Bubiyan island project to position itself as a main gateway for Iraq’s reconstruction as well as to regain its 1970s status as a regional financial and commercial hub.
“This vital project aims to strengthen Kuwait’s role as a main station in regional and international shipping and to elevate it to compete internationally,” a statement said.
It said the deals covering the project’s first phase should be signed before the end of this year.
The private sector will be responsible for building quays, piers, container docks and transport systems such as a possible rail road, bridges and highways.
Awarded companies will construct and operate each segment of the project for a specified period of time before transferring it back to government ownership.

Kuwait plans second airport
Kuwait City: Kuwait plans to build a second airport to handle 10 million passengers annually and a giant cargo village, an official said.
“The new airport will be built and managed with the assistance of the private sector, and [will be] supervised by the Civil Aviation Department,” Shaikh Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, Minister of Communication, was quoted as saying.
“Plans will be presented in a few weeks,” he said.
The 19 per cent increase in passenger traffic recorded in 2004 over 2003 shows the country needs to commit itself to further development, especially with regional political changes in mind, he said.

Zamil wins eight key Saudi projects
Riyadh: Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC) said it won eight key projects, in the educational, commercial and industrial sectors last month, in the three major provinces of Saudi Arabia, for a combined value exceeding SR25 million ($6.6 million).
ZAC is a sector business of Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC) and leading Middle East and international manufacturer of air conditioning systems.
Work on five projects in the Eastern Province is under way for Skaka Hospital, Dammam Girls College, Sharq Petrochemical Company and the Royal Commission’s Jubail College and luxury apartment complex.
Once completed, the combined cooling capacity of the installed HVAC equipment – which includes 800 fan coil units, 40 air-handling units, eight water chillers, and a number of packaged units and central split systems – will be around 5,700 tonnes of refrigeration.
In the central region, ZAC innovative climate control solutions will provide a cooling capacity of approximately 7,500 tonnes to Riyadh’s Al Salam Commercial Center and Azizia-Panda Hypermarket.

Al Areen Desert Spa opens HQ
Manama: The landmark $750 million Al Areen Desert Spa and Resort crossed a significant milestone with the official opening of its headquarters in Manama, last month.
The headquarters will help expedite the development of the mixed-use project that encompasses a unique spa resort, themed residential communities, hotels, a water park as well as commercial and entertainment facilities.

AHCL puts Kirloskar in Saudi market
Jeddah: Abdullah Hashim Company (AHCL) and Indian Kirloskar Group have signed an agreement signalling a new chapter in Saudi Arabia’s engineering imports from India.
AHCL held a presentation at the Jeddah InterContinental to announce its representation of the Indian group’s products – including diesel engines, generating sets and portable air compressors.
“AHCL has progressed well in various fields of its business activity that includes engineering items and automobiles,” Mohammad Abdullah Hashim, managing director of AHCL, said.

Bids invited for Bahrain's sports city
Manama: Contractors have been invited to submit their tenders for the construction of Bahrain’s Sheikh Khalifa Sports City.
The project will include a new main grandstand, a multipurpose hall, a new centre court for tennis, a swimming hall with two pools, boundary fencing and gates, developments of infrastructure, new car park, and external works and services.
Tilke and Partners is the consultant on the project. The bid deadline is March 22.

Work on Sitra Mall to complete by May
Manama: Work on the BD10 million ($26.5 million) Sitra Mall in Bahrain, will be completed by May.
The 37,164 sq m project is located near the Sitra causeway between Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Subah Road and the sea front.
Work started on the project in August 2003 and around 85 per cent had been completed.
The three-floor mall will be the only one in the country to have an allocated area for other services such as airlines, law and engineering firms, among others. This will be in addition to its hypermarket, shops, restaurants and multi-purpose halls. The mall also has an allocated area for children's games and parking for 900 cars.

Friendship causeway gets go ahead
Manama: Work on the BD1.8 billion ($4.77 billion) Friendship Causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar was given the go-ahead at a meeting of the Joint Supreme Committee.
A memorandum of understanding for the construction was signed in the presence of Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Qatar Crown Prince Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The 40 km double-lane causeway is expected to take four years and nine months to complete and will start at Askar village, continue along Bahrain’s eastern coastline and end at Ras Ashiraj in Qatar.