IDC says milestone achieved on Dilmunia Grand Canal & Marina project
The project is taking shape on a man-made island, off the coast of Muharraq
Ithmaar Development Company (IDC) says work is progressing at pace on its $1.6bn mixed-use Dilmunia Grand Canal & Marina project. Foundation and soil preparatory works are said to be complete, which the firm says is a significant milestone for the Bahraini project.
According to a statement, the Grand Canal and Marina is a major element of the Dilmunia development. It will feature public promenades, geysers, water fountains, water walls, water cascades, boardwalks and viewing decks.
The development of the 125-hectare man-made island that will host Dilmunia is also being managed by IDC. IDC is itself part of the Ithmaar Banking group and Ithmaar Bank is the investment manager of the Dilmunia Development Fund I LP.
In December 2018, contractor NSCC International was awarded a $4.5m foundations and soil preparatory works package. The tendered works were successfully completed within the planned time-frame, the IDC confirms.
NSCC is said to have deployed the largest RIC machinery in the GCC for the works, along with ‘vibro-compaction’ techniques. A retaining structure is said to have been built using 300 contiguous piles to retain the upcoming installation of the large water intake pipes that will feed the Grand Canal.
The contractor’s scope of work included 8.8-hectares of soil improvement, soil levelling and a total of 2,897 contiguous pile construction (totaling 2km of pile wall). The firm was also responsible for soil compaction throughout the proposed length of the Dilmunia Grand Canal, including the Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC) technique, which the developer says was used for the first time in Bahrain.
The completion of these foundations and soil preparatory works enables development managers to begin the final step of the construction of the Dilmunia Grand Canal, the statement noted.
Speaking about NSCC International’s timely completion of works, Mohammed Khalil Alsayed, CEO of IDC said, “IDC is pleased to have reached another milestone in the continuing progress of Dilmunia and we are happy that the works proceeded smoothly on schedule.”
He added that NSCC deserve full credit for meeting the challenging timelines.
Khalil N. Khouri, CEO of NSCC International pointed out that completion of the works for the Dilmunia Grand Canal & Marina is a ‘testament to its capabilities not only in Bahrain but across the GCC’.
Alsayed concluded, “The next key step is to award the contract for the Grand Canal works before June 2019 as the works have already been tendered for this.”
