Work on Al Sufouh tram restarts
A CONSORTIUM that was awarded the contract to design, build and operate the $1.1-billion Al Sufouh tram in Dubai in 2008 has restarted work on the project.
The consortium, led by France’s Alstom and the local-Belgian venture Belhasa Six Construct, has resumed some work including the viaduct on Sheikh Zayed Road, the mock-up station, the tramway at Jumeirah Beach Residence and some utilities work at Dubai Marina.
The consortium includes the UK-based Serco and the US-based Parsons International.
In June 2010, the consortium stopped work on the project due to irregular payments from the client, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).
The Al Sufouh tram project has been delayed for some time due to a change in the alignment and design of the tramway. The line will now run in the same direction linking the Burj Al Arab, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Marina, but will not run along Al Sufouh Road as previously planned. Because of these changes, the tram is now expected to be operational at the end of 2014 rather than in April 2011 as initially planned.
Alpine building five hospitals
ALPINE Bau Deutschland, in a joint venture with CPC, is building five hospitals and healthcare centres in and around the city of Al Ain, the construction of which is currently 28 per cent complete.
This large-scale project includes the turnkey construction of the two-storey buildings including service connections for building services. The total construction period for all five projects is about 18 months.
Danube targets $1bn revenue
DANUBE Building Materials has set a target of attaining $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) revenue by 2015. The company saw a 25-per-cent rise in revenues in 2010 in spite of the global crisis and projects a similar growth in 2011 that will take revenues to Dh1.6 billion ($435 million). Danube has also invested Dh50 million ($13.6 million) in a new manufacturing facility in Dubai TechnoPark, which would be functional this year.
Robotic car-park goes up
THE Al Jaber Group is to build the UAE’s first robotic car-park in Abu Dhabi, next to the Traders Hotel in Qaryat Al Beri Resort.
The car-park will have a capacity for 325 cars and will comprise a steel structure with GRC (glass-reinforced concrete) façades. It will be based on a sophisticated mechanical system whereby the cars are rotated and stacked in their parking bays.
The entire process of parking and retrieval will not take more than 50 seconds, which will make parking cars a smooth and quick process for visitors at the resort, it says. Work will commence during the first quarter of this year, and is expected to take about 15 months to complete.
UCWF launches Cover-Pools
UAE-BASED UCWF (U Call We Fix) has signed a strategic partnership that will allow it to market and sell all Cover-Pools products across all Middle East markets. Cover-Pools is a global leader in automatic and manual pool covers for pools and spas.
UCWF, one of the UAE’s leading and fastest-growing building maintenance companies, believes this partnership is set to further strengthen its presence and domination and drive future growth.
UCWF managing director Sharath Shanth said: “We are very excited about this partnership. Cover-Pools products are a fantastic addition to our existing portfolio of solutions to our clients. At the press of a button and in less than a minute, pools are fully protected from any dirt, sand or debris. This powerful mechanism contributes to the most advanced cover system in the market today and is now available to pool owners exclusively through UCWF.”
Cover-Pools products save up to 70 per cent on operating costs by saving heat, chemicals, cleaning and extending equipment life and provide safety benefits by acting as a horizontal fence and preventing accidental drowning of children and pets at home, hotels, resorts and health clubs.
ADPC secures free port
ABU DHABI Ports Company (ADPC) has begun installation of security fences for the free port to the west of Mina Zayed and the Municipality Port to the north of Mina Zayed. This will also include security fences and gates to both ports.
For the free port, the security fence will be approximately 2,480 m long and will include two main gates, while the Municipality Port will have a security fence that will be approximately 1,020 m long with a gate.
Tawfeeq Al Mubarak, executive vice-president of Ports Unit, said: “This is an important undertaking for us at ADPC as we comply with security authorities in Abu Dhabi. The project preparations have already begun and will be completed in the second quarter of 2011.”
ITR moves into Jafz
ITR Middle East, a unit of Usco (Italy) and a leading specialist distributor of after-sales parts for construction and mining equipment, recently moved its offices into a modern newly-built facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafz) in Dubai UAE.
The facility was formally inaugurated by Massimo Glassini, president and co-founder, Usco (Italy), during a grand opening ceremony attended by senior officials from Jafz, ITR Middle East customers and Usco executives from around the world.
Usco, an Italy-based company, leads one of the largest groups in the world for stocking and distribution of after-market parts for construction and mining equipment.