The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) Steering Committee on Sunday signed an agreement with a consortium of four companies formally awarding them the dredging and reclamation works contract for Qatar’s new airport project.
The consortium is made up of Qatar Dredging Company, Dredging International of Belgium, Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Cy of the US and Boskalis Westminster of the Netherlands. According to The Peninsula, they will work on the project to create the 22 sq km platform for the New Doha International Airport.
Qatar Dredging Company is a Qatari-Belgian joint venture between the Belgian firm Dredging International, private Qatari partner UDC and the Government of Qatar.
In January 2004, the Doha International Airport Steering Committee awarded a contract to the US engineering firm Bechtel to design, construct and project-manage the $5.5 billion new airport. Bechtel’s plan calls for the overall project to be split into some 20 parts, each of which will be tendered to local and international companies.
The dredging and reclamation package is the fourth and latest package to be tendered and awarded – and is by far the largest.
The latest contract involves the placing of over 60 milion cubic metres of sand and rock fill over a 24-month period to create the platform and shore protection.
The contract value hits some $420 million. In order to carry out the work, the consortium will require the mobilisation of several heavy-duty cutter suction dredgers and trailing suction hopper dredgers. A total of 11 major dredging vessels will be used to ensure completion of the work within the contractual time limit.
