Mammoet announces installation of overwater villas at RSG’s Sheybarah Island Resort
Four villas were loaded at the Port of Hamriyah in Sharjah, and were shipped to the island for installation at the site
The first batch of modularly-built overwater villas for Red Sea Global’s (RSG) Sheybarah Island Resort in Saudi Arabia have been delivered according to heavy lifting and transport specialist Mammoet. The firm said that it had achieved a new milestone with the installation of the first prefabricated, stainless steel overwater villa orb on its foundation.
According to a statement, Mammoet was awarded the contract by RSG for the transportation and installation of all 73 villa pods in May last year.
To support the shipment of the villas from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, the firm said it partnered with P&O Maritime Logistics. A total of four villas were loaded in at the Port of Hamriyah in Sharjah, and were shipped to the island for installation at the site, it added.
For the installation, Mammoet said it used a 650t capacity Demag CC3800 crawler crane positioned on top of its modified barge, ALE 250. The shallow draft of the barge meant that there would be minimal disturbance to the sensitive marine environment of this unique and picturesque archipelago in the Red Sea.
In June 2022, Mammoet said it used a floating crane to install a bridge for the Red Sea Project.
“We have welcomed the start of 2023 with the delivery of the very first batch of modularly constructed villas for Red Sea Global’s Sheybarah Island Resort,” said Robert van Tinteren, Lead Project Engineer for Mammoet.
Elaborating on the operation, he said that, at the construction jetty, the crane loaded and placed the first orb on the barge deck and sailed to the installation area. Once at the location, the barge was positioned using a hyper-accurate GPS system and the barge’s own winches, for precise alignment with the foundation.
The barge was then stabilised using a retrofitted 300t spud jacking system provided by Combifloat – Mammoet’s partner for floating and self-elevating marine equipment suitable for nearshore operations. Safe and efficient lifting, lowering and re-positioning of the barge was achieved through a locally controlled jacking mechanism and a 4-point mooring system, the statement noted.
He added, “The crane was raised to lift the orb into place – its superlift was replaced by a system designed specifically for the project where the back mast of the CC3800 is ‘tied back’ to the barge. This gave the crane enough capacity to skillfully place the orb onto the foundation without requiring the additional mass of a superlift tray.”
In early December 2022, Mammoet said it completed the installation of the UAE’s three largest gas turbines.
Dubbing the operation as ‘creative engineering’ at its best, Tinteren continued, “It has been an exciting nine months building up to this point, but it never gets tedious to see the incredible things we at Mammoet can do when we put our minds to it!.”
Located on the southeast of the archipelago on the Red Sea, the 73-key Sheybarah Island resort comprises uniquely shaped overwater and beach villas, arrival, front of house and F&B buildings and other facilities.
The resort is said to embrace the latest sustainable technologies in all elements of its design; an eco-friendly and sustainable design that not only preserves but enhances the biodiversity and the surrounding natural habitat, while offering a luxurious experience that will attract visitors from around the globe and elevating Saudi Arabia as a top tier marine eco-tourism destination, the statement said.
Sheybarah Island is home to a highly diverse environment with mangroves, white sand dune beaches and some of the most beautiful and pristine coral reefs in the world hosting many species of fish and other marine animals, the statement concluded.
In mid December 2022, Mammoet said it developed a carbon monitoring platform for heavy lifting equipment.
