CONSTRUCTION of the kilometre-long Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to start next month (January), according to the architect on the project.

MARRIOTT International is to operate a JW Marriott in Bahrain under a management agreement with owner Khaleejcapita. The JW Marriott Manama, Bahrain Hotel, will have 274 rooms and suites and 102 residences in Bahrain Bay, adjacent to the Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH) and opposite the Diplomatic Quarter.

CONSTRUCTION work on the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production site remains on target as Octal Petrochemicals’ third and fourth manufacturing facilities take shape on an area of 24 acres at the Salalah Free Zone in Oman.

HYDER Consulting Middle East has won a five-year engineering services framework for the northern area of the city of Doha in Qatar. The contract, worth $80 million over the five years, is the biggest-ever won by the group.

WORK on several vital road projects in Bahrain, aimed at easing traffic congestion, is due to start in the coming months, according Bahrain’s Works Minister Esam Khalaf.

GREAT Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, the largest provider of dredging services in the US, has won a contract worth $57 million for the East Hidd Housing Project in Bahrain.

ETALI Group, a new UK-based company, is setting up a forklift production plant in Saudi Arabia, according to a local press report. The company aims to compete with industry giants such as Kalmar, Linde, Hyster, Caterpillar and Sany in the medium- and heavy-duty forklift market, the Arab News said.

Saudis award $48bn contractsSAUDI ARABIA awarded contracts worth SR179.5 billion ($48 billion) in the first nine months of this year compared with SR106.8 billion ($28.43 billion) over the same period last year, the National Commercial Bank (NCB) reported. The value of contracts awarded during the third quarter reached SR95.1 billion ($25.