Dubai contractor Drake & Scull International (DSI) reported a 63.13 per cent increase in year-on-year profit in the second quarter of 2013, rising from AED32m ($8.7m) to AED52.2m.

Revenues reached AED1.34bn in the second quarter of 2013 compared with AED717.3m during the same period last year.

DSI’s total order backlog reached a record high, closing at AED11.7bn at the end of June – a jump of 58.1 per cent compared with AED7.4bn recorded during the same period last year.

“We are well on track in achieving our growth objectives for the year. Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to be the key drivers to our top-line growth. Our recent contract awards in the Jordanian market and the ongoing projects in Southern Iraq will contribute to the bottom-line growth in the second half of the year, as productivity on project sites improve,” said Khaldoun Tabari, chief executive officer of DSI.

“Operations in Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria and India are steady with sustained margins across all our business streams,” he adds.

In recent months, DSI has won contracts to execute the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works for the Fairmont Abu Dhabi Hotel and Serviced Apartments, and the MEP for the King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh and a real estate development in the western city of Jeddah, both in Saudi Arabia.

DSI’s main business streams include engineering, construction and development, focusing on the infrastructure sector.