Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has issued a letter of intent to Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) for an estimated AED485m ($132m) infrastructure contract at Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ).

The contract covers the northern area of the port and involves the construction of one road bridge, two rail bridges and other general infrastructure such as culverts, storm water drainage, sewerage, sub stations and pumping stations.

When contractors were first approached for the contract in early 2009 they were told tendering for the package would start in the first week of April 2009, with work starting in August 2009 and tentative contract completion by April 2012.

In mid-July ADPC awarded a joint venture of Germany’s Ed Zueblin and the local Al-Jaber Group another infrastructure contract at KPIZ. The estimated AED1bn contract involves civil and structural building works together with a road linking the offshore port to the mainland and other service roads. The buildings include a terminal operations centre. ADPC expects the work to be completed in August 2012 (MEED 29:7:10).

A consortium of Geneva-registered Archirodon Construction, Boskalis Westminster Middle East of the Netherlands and South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction was awarded the AED5.5bn contract for the port’s marine works in 2007.

US-based Bechtel was appointed as the project’s programme manager in 2006.

The first phase of the port will have the capacity for two million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and six million tonnes of general cargo. Four subsequent phases will result in capacity rising to 22 million TEUs and 35 million tonnes of cargo by 2028.