Contracts worth more than BD114 million ($302.41 million) have already been awarded for the construction of the Khalifa bin Salman Port and Industrial Area at Hidd, Bahrain. The project, to be completed by 2005, consists of seven packages, the biggest of which is the BD79.95 million contract for the port dredging, reclamation and marine work.

Work on the $1 billion (BD378 million) Amwaj Islands project in Bahrain will enter a new phase with the construction of housing development units and a hotel in March.

The demand for deformed steel in Dubai, UAE, has declined in spite of the spurt in the number of new construction projects, it was reported. Consumption of steel bars has gone down from 90,000 tonnes per month in the last couple of years to around 70,000 tonnes, said a report.

10-14: Salon du Meuble de Paris (Paris Furniture Exhibition), at the Paris Expo- Porte de Versailles, France. 19-23: Pipeline Rehabilitation and Maintenance, fifth international conference and exhibition organised by the PennWell Petroleum Group at the Gulf International Convention Centre, Bahrain.

Construction work on Dubai's ambitious public railway transport system project is scheduled to start by 2003, a report said. Planners foresee two rail lines in the first phase, which will concentrate only on Dubai, it said. The project will have links to Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, and Abu Dhabi at a later stage.

Emaar Properties has begun construction work on a prestigious 17-storey office and residential development in Deira, Dubai. The new towers, to be called Emaar Towers, is the first major project of the company in the heart of Deira and will feature 75 apartments and 16 floors of commercial offices.

More than 1,000 products from over 200 companies around the world will be on show at the Hardware & Tools Show at the Dubai World Trade Centre next month.

British construction equipment maker JCB has recently supplied six 456ZX wheeled loading shovel machines to Qatar's Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MMA) and the Modern Construction Company (MCC). The machines were the first JCB wheeled loading shovels sold in Qatar.

The Dh118.98 million ($32.39 million) contract for the construction of the 14-storey Dubai Convention Centre office building and podium, has been awarded to Khansaheb Civil Engineering, it was reported.

Siemens wins power deal Germany's Siemens AG has signed a $896 million contract to build a power plant in Abu Dhabi.

Work nears end on 18 projects The UAE Ministry of Public Works and Housing is completing the construction of 18 projects at an estimated cost of Dh616 million ($167.72 million), a report said.

The Zubair group of Oman is building a $40 million hotel in Dubai, UAE. The four-star-plus facility will be managed by the hotel chain Traders belonging to the Shangri La Hotels and Resorts Group. The hotel, coming up at Muraqabhe area in Deira, will have 250 rooms, said Hakim Magid Saud Al Maamari, tourism manager at the Zubair Corporation.

The construction industry in the UAE is expected to stabilise at Dh15 billion ($4.08 billion) annually, a study has revealed. The Emirates Industrial Bank (EIB) study said that the industry will stabilise after witnessing a steady growth in the last 10 years.

Girls school to expand Bahrain's first all-girls private school is set to expand with the opening of three new grades and the construction of a new BD1 million ($2.65 million) building. Shaikha Hessa Girls School, which opened its doors last September, currently caters for youngsters from nursery to grade three at its premises near Awali.