MHAO appoints new CEO
Dubai: Sunil Prabhakaran has taken over as the CEO of the Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba (MHAO) group in Dubai.
Apart from handling various renowned brands, MHAO also handles the supply, installation, commissioning and after-sales service of major projects in commercial kitchens, laundry, bowling centres, sports surfaces and health and leisure centres.
Arabtec to build Dubai Pearl Hotel
Dubai: Arabtec Construction has been awarded the contract to build a 60-storey hotel at the Dubai Pearl Development situated within Dubai Media City.
The 287-m-high, five-star, Dubai Pearl Hotel is a partnership between Dubai Pearl Incorporated (DPI) and Kingdom Hotel Investment Group. The construction period for the Dh485 million ($132 million) hotel is 26 months and the completion date will be December 2006.
DFC lands Saba Tower piling work
Abu Dhabi: Saba Group of Dubai has awarded Abu Dhabi-based Dutch Foundation Company (DFC) the piling and foundation contract of Dh400.3 million ($109 million) Saba Twin Towers in Dubai.
The 36-storey, 700-apartment, residential project, Saba Tower 2 and 3, will come up at the Jumeirah Lake Towers community, where office and residential space will be available on a freehold basis.
It will cover a gross area of more than one million sq ft in the heart of the Jumeirah Lake Towers community development located between Interchanges 5 and 6 on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Full-scale construction of the project will commence within three months, and it’s expected to be completed within a record timeframe of 22 months.
The UK-based architectural and design firm, RMJM is the primary consultant.
MGC plans $10m coating facility
Dubai: Plans have been unveiled to set up a $10 million steel coating plant with capacity of 50,000 tonnes in the UAE. The Mulk Group of Companies (MGC) has signed an agreement with Hong Kong-based Litong International Group Holdings for setting up the plant, which is expected to be operational by mid-2005.
The joint venture company, Mulk-Litong Colour Coating will be located on an area of 250,000 sq ft of land and have a built-up area of 50,000 sq ft.
The site for the plant is currently being finalised, which could be either in Sharjah or Dubai.
Gasco shortlists bidders for OGD-3
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Gas Industries (Gasco) has shortlisted four bidders for the Dh4.77 billion ($1.3 billion) third phase of the Onshore Gas Development (OGD-3).
The four bidders are France’s Technip, Bechtel of the US, Chiyoda Corp and JGC of Japan.
This is part of the three projects that are in the tendering phase, others being Ruwais NGL third train project, valued at $1 billion and phase two of Asab Gas Development (AGD-2) project, valued at $700 million.
Petrofac starts work on $100m plant
Sharjah: EPIC (engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning) contractor Petrofac International has commenced work on the construction of Dh400 million ($108.9 million) gas sweetening and sulphur recovery project in Sharjah.
The plant will have a capacity to process 600 million cu ft of gas per day, and there are plans for further expansion.
The project is promoted by Sajaa Gas (SajGas), a new joint venture between the Government of Sharjah, together with Crescent Petroleum (as initial founder shareholders) and six prominent investors from the GCC, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Krupp wins DIA expansion deal
Dubai: German manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Elevator has won a Dh367 million ($100 million) contract to supply and install 658 passenger conveyance systems for the Dubai International Airport (DIA) expansion project.
ThyssenKrupp Elevator will supply and install a total of 368 elevators, 162 escalators and 128 moving walks over the next four years.
Last June, the company was awarded a Dh183 million ($50 million) order, under the AX065 tender package, for 117 passenger-boarding bridges at Dubai International Airport. Delivery of the bridges would take place between 2006 and 2008. The Department of Civil Aviation is overseeing the Dh15 billion ($4.1 billion) expansion project of the airport.
Work to start on The Palladium
Dubai: ETA Ascon, the developer and contractor of Dh150 million ($40.8 million) The Palladium, will start construction on the new project in January 2005.
The 100 per cent freehold apartment property – to be located between fifth and sixth interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road, in Dubai – consists of a ground floor and 34 upper floors. All floors of the property offer views of the lake on one side and city vista on the other.
Spanning over half a million sq ft of built-up area, The Palladium will comprise restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques in the lobby. Being constructed to the most stringent standards, it is expected to complete by December 2006.
Royal Jet plans new terminal
Abu Dhabi: Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabi-based luxury aircraft charter firm, is building a new executive aircraft terminal at an estimated cost of Dh150 million ($46.2 million), the company said.
The terminal generally called Fixed Based Operation (FBO) is scheduled for completion in 2007.
The FBO will help Royal Jet expand its services to include handling, fuelling, flight planning as well as aircraft maintenance and other services to all executive aircraft coming into Abu Dhabi.
Projects worth $200bn under way
Dubai: About $200 billion worth of infrastructure, utility, energy development and construction projects are currently under way in the GCC, according to a report. Almost half of them are being executed in the UAE, it said.
With the continued rise in oil prices, investment in general projects is expected to continue, said a report.
The total GDP of the six Gulf countries is expected to cross $400 billion, they said.
The increased GDP will help the Gulf countries increase spending in new projects and development activities, boosting economies. Currently the 15th largest economy in the world, continued growth and integration will make the GCC the 10th largest exporter in the world, said speakers at a two-day conference on Major New Project Opportunities in Abu Dhabi.
GCC awards clinker line project
Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah-based Gulf Cement Company (GCC) has awarded ThyssenKrupp Industries, India, and Polysius of Germany a Dh367.8 million ($100 million) contract to install a new clinker line.
Civil works will start in December, mechanical works in March 2005 and the plant is expected to be commissioned in February 2006. The project will include the world’s most advanced mill and an advanced burning system to produce clinker. The two contracting companies will provide the machines and supervise their installation.
When completed, the new line would produce 7,500 tonnes of clinker per day and with this expansion, GCC is expected to be the number one clinker producing company in the UAE with an annual capacity of 3.7 million tonnes. Ercom is the project adviser for the new line.
Seminar focuses on Cat C-series
Abu Dhabi: The salient features of the new Cat C-series of Caterpillar engines were explained at a seminar hosted in Abu Dhabi by Mohamed Abdulrahman Al Bahar, the sole dealer for the product in the UAE.
The new Cat C-series engines represent the latest development that attests Caterpillar’s commitment to produce better products out of ongoing research.
Borouge invites PMC services
AbuDhabi: Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge) has invited international contractors to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services on the Dh9.1 billion ($2.5 billion) phase 3 Borouge expansion programme at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi.
The scope also covers front-end engineering and design (FEED) works. The PMC contract will be awarded early next year and is due for completion in 2009/10.
The proposed phase III expansion calls for the construction of a 1.4 million-tonne per year (tpy) ethane cracker and a planned 540,000-tpy polyethylene (PE) unit. Also, Borouge is planning an option for two 400,000-tpy polypropylene (PP) units, all using Borstar technology.
Depa fits Egypt's Four Seasons
Dubai: Depa, a leading hotel interiors contracting company in the Middle East, has completed furnishing of the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel, which has now opened in Cairo, Egypt.
The contract comprised the manufacturing, supply and installation of all furniture, fittings and equipment of rooms, suites, restaurants, business centres, function, leisure and all other public areas.
The 30-storey contemporary hotel, which is located in the heart of Cairo’s Garden City district abutting the Nile River is aimed to cater for both business and leisure travellers. The hotel offers 336 standard rooms, 28 suites, 72 business suites and two royal suites.
$32m edutainment centre planned
Dubai: A spaceship-themed edutainment centre will be built at a cost of Dh120 million ($32.7 million) at the upcoming Zabeel Technology Theme Park in Dubai.
Once open in early 2006, the Stargate Family Edutainment Centre is expected to attract around one million people annually to the facility. The edutainment centre will cover 260,000 sq ft and will have part of the facilities underground.
The complex will include retail kiosks, exhibition wings, dining outlets, coffee shops, a children’s education academy and nursery. The centre will have five dome-shaped fun zones – Saturn, Mars, Earth, a UFO zone and the moon.
Contractors seek levy reduction
Dubai: The UAE Contractors Association is seeking a reduction in customs duties on imports of the main building materials, similar to that applied previously on cement imports.
This follows the local construction industry’s concern over the likely losses contractors may incur due to the fluctuation of the prices fuel and other building materials in the local market, said a spokesman for the association. Contractors may suffer similar losses they incurred in the last few months during the acute cement shortage, he said.
Galadari, Masons enter joint venture
Dubai: The Dubai-based Galadari and Associates and the UK-based Masons have signed a joint venture to form Masons Galadari (MG).
The company will provide legal services in procurement, supply and management of construction and engineering projects throughout the Middle East, said Ziad Galadari, partner, Masons Galadari.
Masons is the worldwide provider of legal services to various sectors such as construction, energy, engineering and infrastructure industries.
Bayanat to handle baggage at ADA
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Airport (ADA) has signed a deal to deploy the latest baggage handling technology – the first of its type in the Middle East.
Bayanat Data Processing Systems, among UAE’s leading IT systems integrators, was awarded the Dh19 million ($5.19 million) contract to install the solution by the Abu Dhabi Department of Civil Aviation (ADDCA). The next phase of technological development at Abu Dhabi Airport will make it one of the most advanced facilities in the world.
The solution will match each passenger to their baggage, and assign specific slots for loading on the aircraft.