Van Oord wins ¢130m worth of work in the Middle East
Netherlands based dredging and marine contractor Van Oord has won contracts for a series of projects in the Middle East with an overall value of € 130m.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Van Oord is executing dredging work in Ras al Khaimah as part of preparations for the 33rd America’s Cup. The sailing competition will take place in Ras al Khaimah in 2010. The client is the government of Ras al Khaimah, which has contracted Van Oord to supply sand for the construction of the artificial island Pearl Jumeirah in Dubai. The island will be residential. In Abu Dhabi, Van Oord is dredging part of the Mussafah channel and performing beach replenishment work on the Abu Dhabi Corniche for local company NMDC.
Van Oord is also once again involved in the Sohar port expansion project in Oman. Van Oord’s work consists of dredging an access channel and harbour basin. The client is SIDC, a joint venture between the local government and the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
Van Oord has also been subcontracted to work on the expansion of Muscat International Airport. The client is Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Outside the Emirates, Oman Van Oord has also been awarded projects in Kuwait and Jordan. In Kuwait, Van Oord has signed a five year contract with the Kuwait government to remove siltation in front of the cooling water intake channel of Subiya Power Station. By dredging salt reefs in the Dead Sea, Van Oord is allowing water to flow more freely so that its client, the Arab Potash Company, can extract the raw materials it needs to produce artificial fertilizer.
