November 21, 2008

Arabian Canal excavation deal to be awarded in mid 2008 – Report

Gulf News reported that Dubai World's real restate firm Limitless will award its first major excavation contract for the ambitious AED 40 billion Arabian Canal project by the middle of 2008.

Mr Ian Raine development manager of Limitless said that some 30 international and Gulf based companies have contacted Limitless to do excavation work for the 75 kilometer long and 6 meters deep waterway. He added that "We are expecting to award the first contact by the middle of 2008. Several companies have approached us and we are going through the selection process."

There will be 6 to 7 major packages for the excavation work. The total depth of excavation is 70 meters from the ground to sea level. Limitless, which calls the canal the largest and most complex civil engineering project ever undertaken in the Middle East, is aiming to complete major civil works in 3 to 5 years.

An estimated 2 billion cubic meters of earth will be dug up for the canal. It could also be used in land reclamation work being done for offshore projects such as the Palm Islands, Dubai Waterfront and The Universe. Mr Raine said that "The intention is to use this material in creating topography around this development as much as possible." He added that mining technologies will be used in several places as the material being dug involves both sand and rocks. Excavation work has already begun on a trial basis.

The canal will flow inland from Nakheel's Dubai Waterfront development in the Jebel Ali area to a point near the Palm Jumeirah man made island. It will be up to 150 meters wide and support billions of dollars of real estate and leisure projects on both sides of the water. An area of 14,000 hectares will be developed for real estate, which will increase Dubai's population by 1.5 million.