Bahrain’s Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard Company (ASRY) has awarded the local Nass Contracting Company a $80m design and build contract for a 1,380-metre quay wall.

Nass will build two berths, a 1,200-metre quay wall with a water depth of up to 12 metres that can receive 300,000 dead-weight tonne (dwt) vessels and a 180-metre quay for 40,000 dwt vessels.

The contractor is scheduled to complete the first 400 metres by the end of 2010, and both berths will be fully operational by the end of 2011.

The quays will be supported by onshore infrastructure which is currently being designed by Royal Haskoning of the Netherlands.

ASRY opened in 1977 and has a 500,000 dwt dry-dock, two jetties, two floating docks that can handle vessels up to 120,000 dwt, and two 255-metre slipways that can accommodate vessels of 5,000 dwt (MEED 21:7:06).