Sobha Realty, the Dubai-based real estate developer, has announced that work is moving forwards at a steady pace on its flagship project, Sobha Hartland, an 8 million sqft waterfront community featuring a mix of luxury apartments, villas and high-end townhouses, with nearly 60% completed.

Located in Mohammed Bin Rashid City in Dubai, the mixed-use project features 22 hectares of greenery, constituting 30% of the entire project, a statement said. It added that the residential component of the project will include freehold studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes, townhouses, and four-, five-, and six-bedroom villas.

Construction is underway in three phases, the developer said.

Managing Director Francis Alfred said: “The high level of interest from expat investors for Sobha Realty properties is evident and inspiring. As one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, we are delighted to serve such a large global clientele.”

“Indian, Chinese, and Emirati nationals make up the top three investors in Sobha Realty, followed by Russian, British, and Nigerian nationals,” he stated.

“Their trust is an indication of their confidence in our luxury properties, as well as our commitment to delivering the highest standards of quality and design,” he added.

The masterplan also includes amenities such as international schools, nurseries, healthcare facilities, swimming pools, tennis courts, yoga centres, gyms, playgrounds and parks, it stated.

In response to the growing demand for luxury properties, Sobha Realty has increased its sales target by 50% from 2021. The real estate developer has witnessed a steady flow of investments, with 50% of foreign and 50% of resident investors, respectively.

“The high level of interest from expat investors of Sobha Realty is evident and inspiring. As one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, we are delighted to serve such a large global clientele. Their trust is an indication of their confidence in our luxury properties, as well as our commitment to delivering the highest standards of quality and design,” Alfred added.

Dubai’s status as one of the first cities to reopen its borders since the pandemic, the additional provision for Remote Work Visa, and Dubai’s Virtual Working program are key contributors to the increasing demand for the sector, he said.

He added that Sobha Realty will look to continue its success as it plans to begin work on another development, valued at $4 billion, in the third quarter of this year due to growing investor demand.

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Source: ME Construction News

Facilities management (FM) firm Farnek plans to launch ‘Trendz’, which is billed as a new standalone hotel management company, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM).

According to a statement from the firm, the solution offers a unique 360-degree service for hotel owners and operating companies with an accent on technology and sustainability – two of the most important trends in hospitality today.

Walter Knight, director of Hospitality at Farnek added, “Farnek, which has over 8,000 employees, has traditionally provided manpower and outsourcing services, such as cleaning, security and property maintenance. However, ‘Trendz’ takes that market proposition one stage further, managing front office requirements, reservations, concierge, housekeeping and room service – we can also manage sales operations, marketing and PR. It is a cost-effective and totally flexible hospitality proposition. Hotels can engage with us for specific operational requirements or contract us to manage an entire property, either under the ‘Trendz’ brand or as a white label product.”

One of Farnek’s most recent accomplishments was the development of its ‘Flexi-Guest’ app, which digitalises the guest journey from pre arrival to check out. The in-house developed app interfaces with a hotel’s property management system (PMS), affording guests a whole suite of services from uploading travel documents, such as vaccination certificates, ordering a car on arrival, room service and laundry. The hotel app can also send automated electronic updates and alerts to the guest, as well as e-registration documents, e-invoices and e-receipts, all in one convenient space, the statement explained.

Knight noted, “This gives the guest an enhanced experience, providing a seamless pre-arrival and check-in procedure. They can order room service in advance, have laundry picked up or delivered, request early or late check outs, view and pay invoices with secure online payments. If the guest experience is good, that develops loyalty and improves online ratings. The hotel operates more efficiently, saving staff time and expense and has the added advantage of driving revenue through F&B and e-concierge services.”

As per the statement, the firm just completed a successful trial of the app, having secured a contract for the Expo Village, situated on the EXPO 2020 site. Farnek was responsible for managing the reservation services, concierge, front office services and housekeeping, for 2,273 apartments during the show.

Sustainability is key to Farnek’s hospitality strategy and Flexi-Guest can estimate the carbon emissions generated by any guest during their stay and provide a cost should the guest wish to offset their carbon footprint. Indeed, visitors to Farnek’s stand at ATM, will be able to measure their own carbon footprint, with an option to contribute to a range of sustainable projects to offset their impact on the environment, while participating in the show, the statement concluded.

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Scania Middle East’s new managing director Marian Cernoch says he is determined to ensure that the Swedish brand offers a wide range of financial and service products for its fleet customers.

Scania Middle East recently welcomed Cernoch as its new managing director for the region, with the executive moving from his previous position as Head of Sales in the EMA Region

He has also previously worked as sales director for the Central European Region.

As part of his new role as MD, he will be based in the Scania Middle East Head office in Dubai.

“It’s my pleasure to join the Scania Middle East team and personally contribute to the Scania brand image and market presence development in the region,” said Cernoch.

“I am eager to bring forward Scania’s sustainable strategy approach by wider scope of bundled offerings including comprehensive financial and service products. Facing current very complex and disrupted global environment it’s not enough to be just well known as a quality vehicle manufacturer, it’s essential to become a real solution provider, offering answers to any kind of transport and logistical tasks.”

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Source: ME Construction News

Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding Company (HEISCO), a major Kuwaiti engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting company, has said that it has received a letter of intent from the US Army, affirming that it has won a tender for marine construction works worth $25.6 million, in Kuwait.

In a statement on its website, the company said that the qualification for the tender would be officially declared at a later date.

Since its establishment in 1974, HEISCO has developed into a major EPC contractor in Kuwait with a diversified range of businesses in oil and gas, petrochemicals, power, civil construction, shipbuilding and repair, dredging and marine construction, as well as other industrial services.

The company recently announced that its consortium with Mitsubishi Power was the lowest bidder for a tender issued by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Power for the Sabiya Power Plant in the Al Jahra region of the country.

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Petronas Carigali has awarded National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC)’s consortium with Technip Energies a major FEED contract, for what is billed as one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. Abu Dhabi-based NPCC said its work on the Kasawari gas field off the coast of Sarawak in Malaysia marks its entry into Southeast Asian market.

Technip Energies is a leading engineering and technology company for energy transition, with leadership positions in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen and ethylene as well as growing market positions in blue and green hydrogen, sustainable chemistry and CO2 management, a statement from NPCC said.

Following an extensive prequalification and selection process, Petronas Carigali, a subsidiary of Malaysian energy giant Petronas, awarded NPCC, a subsidiary of consortium leader National Marine Dredging Company. NPCC said the Kasawari CCS project is expected to process an average of 3.7mn tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually and is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.

“We at NPCC are proud to see the quick results of our recent strategic agreement with Technip Energies. Both of us have aligned plans and strategies for the renewable and decarbonisation sector, which enabled us to win the contract for one of the largest CCS projects in the world. We are further supporting the group’s vision to drive business diversification by expanding into several growth sectors, underlining NMDC’s reputation as a global EPC and marine dredging services major. Through this contract, we are marking our entry in Southeast Asia. We will continue to explore opportunities to deliver our world class capabilities through new partnerships and project wins,” said CEO Engineer Ahmed Al Dhaheri.

As per the terms of the deal, Technip Energies will bring its technological know-how, overall project management capabilities and innovative solutions from early stage to project delivery, and NPCC will draw on its project management skills for EPC projects, its global experience in offshore installation and fabrication capabilities, the statement noted.

NPCC and Technip Energies are said to have collaborated for decades, executing several landmark projects and have recently reinforced their cooperation through a strategic partnership to accelerate the energy transition.

Technip Energies CEO Arnaud Pieton remarked, “We are honoured to be entrusted by Petronas Carigali, along with our long-lasting partner NPCC, for the development of their flagship Kasawari CCS project, which contributes to their aspiration of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Leveraging our technological and technical expertise in the carbon capture domain, our 40 years of continuous operations in Malaysia designing and delivering some of the most complex assets and our strategic agreement with NPCC, we are committed to make the Kasawari CCS project a success and reference in the industry.”

He noted that NPCC and Technip Energies’ strategic partnership will focus on capturing opportunities in energy transition and on fostering the best engineering practices.

It will also enhance cooperation in blue and green hydrogen and related decarbonisation projects, CO2 capture in addition to industrial projects in the fields of waste-to-energy, biorefining, biochemistry, ammonia as well as other energy transition related themes, he concluded.

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Akar Technical Services, the landscape contractor owned by the Oman-based Al Yusr International Muscat, has said that it has successfully completed work at the Villanova residential community in Dubai, valued at USD $14.9 million.

Located in Dubailand, the Villanova community consists of cluster homes and an array of standalone villas and apartments. Akar’s work on the project last 18 months and the contract included the construction of four sets of swimming pools – main and kids’ pools, along with underground pump rooms and balancing tanks – and the supply and installation of more than 100,000sqm of precast pavers of different colours and patterns. These included curb stones for parking, with various sizes of natural gravel.

Also included in the contract was the installation of decorative fences for swimming pools (as per authority standards), shade structures for play equipment; Supply and installation of play equipment, fitness equipment, basketball courts including rubber flooring and acrylic court finish.

In addition, Akar provided installation of street furniture, including bollards, wooden and concrete benches, litter bins, sun loungers, precast BBQ with table set. Softscape work comprising the integration of 2500sqm geogrid cells in steep slopes, around 75,000 sqm of shrubs, ground covers and grass, 4,056 trees and 400 palm trees was also carried out. This was followed by irrigation work wherein integration of sub main line, lateral line, drip tube, irrigation chambers, pull box and valves was executed.

In terms of installation, testing and commissioning of lights, Akar provided services for pole lights, bollard lights, shade structure lights, CCTV containments for all the pools and tree up lights.

Adnan Nalwala, executive director, Akar Technical Services Co, said: “Villanova is an ambitious project that will enable us to showcase Akar’s exceptional landscaping expertise and help augment Dubai’s over-arching goal of creating exceptional and integrated lifestyle experiences that enrich the lives of residents and visitors alike.

“We would like to thank all the consultants, the main contractor and our partners for their assistance in delivering the project in a timely manner and to the highest standards of quality, safety, and sustainability.”

The Villanova master development is located at the intersection of the Dubai-Al Ain Road with Emirates Road and is owned by Dubai Properties.

“The award to Akar Technical Services at the Villanova development strengthens our longstanding relationship with Dubai Properties and further complements our diversified portfolio of landmark developments across UAE and Oman. Despite the complex design, our integrated engineering solutions and dedication of our talented workforce helped in timely delivery of the project-taking into account every specification and goal of the client. Moving forward, we are committed to contributing towards UAE’s landmark development agenda, combining our landscaping expertise with a proven record of delivering timely and state-of-the-art services and maintenance solutions,” Nalwala concluded.

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The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) has successfully implemented the first wave of Enablon modules in a bid to integrate, automate and streamline governance, risk compliance, health and safety, environment and sustainability, business continuity and internal audit practices across the organisation. The developer said Wolters Kluwer’s Enablon was selected based on its industry-leading position as a provider of integrated software solutions.

The project was initiated in January last year and after a lengthy design and consultation process lasting 15 months, the team has now launched the integrated solution, a statement from the firm said.

“We began this journey at the height of the global pandemic, with the aim of integrating several of our risk and control functions. The main objective was to enhance monitoring, reporting and alignment across the multiple functions involved in the delivery of standard setting health and safety practices. The rollout has arrived at an opportune time, with manpower at site exceeding 16,000 TRSDC employees and contractors,” said CEO John Pagano.

He added, “This was a largescale implementation project which engaged multiple internal and external stakeholders. I would like to congratulate all those involved for the successful completion of the first phase, which supports TRSDC in achieving its ambitions as a global leader in responsible development.”

Together with management consultants Ernst & Young, Wolters Kluwer as the software provider and Wipro as the implementation consultant, TRSDC established a committee who oversaw the progress and implementation of the solution, the statement noted.

Wolters Kluwer Enablon VP and MD Laurent Dechaux explained, “We are excited to partner with The Red Sea Development Company on such an important and ambitious project. Our Enablon Vision Platform offers TRSDC a full 360-degree view of risk, addressing the Environmental, Health and Safety challenges of the project. We are happy to help TRSDC deliver deep impact where it matters most while remaining responsible, productive, and safe through innovative technology.”

Commenting on the successful deployment, EY said TRSDC was a pioneer in conceptualising the alignment between its risk and controls functions, utilising the strength of Enablon to bring together governance, risk compliance, health and safety, environment and sustainability, business continuity and internal audit. Throughout the 15-month implementation period, the priority was to ensure TRSDC requirements are met with focus on future adoption and value, EY said.

Given the remote location of many of the sites under development at The Red Sea Project, a key advantage of utilising Enablon’s solution is the systems capability to be used in an offline mode, allowing incident data or inspection and audit reports to be prepared and then uploaded once the device is connected to the network. Equally beneficial is the mobile phone application which is user-friendly for employees logging data on the move, the statement noted.

Additional features are being assessed in efforts to continue to automate and enhance operations through the Enablon integrated platform. The system will also be rolled out for Amaala and the growing number of projects in the TRSDC portfolio, the developer concluded.

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Source: ME Construction News

The Kuwait-based Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (HEISCO) has announced that its consortium with the leading energy solutions company Mitsubishi Power, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, has emerged as the lowest bidder for a tender issued by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy for the Sabiya Power Plant.

In its filing to the Boursa Kuwait, HEISCO said that the plant is located in the Al Jahra region of Kuwait, and that it is a 2,400MW oil-fired power project, which is being developed in multiple phases.

The scope of works includes the modernisation of steam turbines and electric generators for eight steam units at the plant, it added.

HEISCO is a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting company based in Kuwait. It has a diversified range of business in oil and gas, petrochemicals, power, civil construction, shipbuilding and repair, dredging and marine construction and other industrial services.

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Source: ME Construction News

HKA has recruited Mahmoud Abougabal to its Expert Services team based in the Dubai office.

Mahmoud has 15 years’ regional experience working in the construction industry. He also has a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, a master’s degree in project management, construction and infrastructure and a master’s degree in construction law and dispute resolution. Mahmoud is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

As a testifying delay expert with a long experience working on local court disputes, he has prepared expert reports in English and Arabic and has been cross-examined in the courts of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Mahmoud onboard as we continue to grow our Expert Services offering throughout the Middle East. Mahmoud is a great addition to our Delay Expert Team having vast experience both in domestic courts and international arbitrations,” said Jad Chouman, Partner & Head of Middle East.

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Source: ME Construction News