Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has invited companies to submit technical bids by 23 May for the contract to build the offshore terminal area for Khalifa Port at Taweelah in the north of the emirate.

The contract involves finishing the earthworks for the terminal area, setting up mooring systems, installing utilities such as electricity supply cables, substations, and water pipes, laying crane rails, paving the container yard, the construction of roads, and building a fuel depot.

The successful bidder will also build a gatehouse, warehouses, a canteen building, and other office buildings.

The prequalifiers include:

• Astaldi (Italy), Arabian Construction Company (ACC) (UAE/Lebanon)
• Samsung Corporation (South Korea)
• Al-Habtoor Leighton (UAE/Australia)
• Al-Jaber Group (UAE), Ed Zueblin (Germany)
• Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• China Harbour Engineering Company (China)
• Strabag (Austria)
• Dutco Balfour Beatty (UAE/UK)
• Al-Futtaim Carillion (UAE/UK)
• Archirodon Construction (Geneva-registered)
• Dodsal (India)

ADPC expects a contractor to start work on site in November with completion planned for June 2012 when the first phase of the new port is scheduled to open. The project was originally expected to be largely completed by late 2010.

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 2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and 6 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.

ADPC is also developing an industrial zone next to the port, which includes an aluminium smelter, which is being built by Emirates Aluminium.

In April ADPC restructured the AED1.4bn infrastructure contract for the industrial zone. The contract which was awarded to the local/Australian Al-Habtoor Leighton Group in July 2009 has been changed to a design and build contract from a traditional lump-sum contract because of major reductions to the scope of work (MEED 3:5:10).