Mott MacDonald has been appointed to provide holistic design and management services for a new fuel farm complex and fuel hydrant coming up at the Bahrain International Airport.

The UK-headquartered global engineering management and development specialist has signed the consultancy services agreement with Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) and The Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding) for the project.

The BD1.4-million ($3.8 million) pact is in line with the directives of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to relocate the aviation fuel tanks away from the residential areas in Arad.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the chief executive of nogaholding, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, the chief executive of BAC and Albert Allan, the managing director of Oil Gas & Petrochemical Unit at Mott MacDonald at the nogaholding headquarters in Manama.

Commenting on the contract, Shaikh Mohamed said: "The appointment of leading experts Mott MacDonald as the main consultants on the new fuel farm complex, supports the vision of HRH the Prime Minister and echoes the commitment of both nogaholding and BAC to deliver this ambitious national venture within the defined timeframe and with the highest quality of standards."

"The solid co-operation between nogaholding and BAC has enabled us to move full speed ahead on this project which will positively impact the Arad residents and result in superior services for the entire airport community," he stated.

According to him, Mott MacDonald was selected following a rigorous tender process and thorough assessment of all six submissions received by the shortlisted bidders.

All bids were evaluated on cost and technical merit and Mott MacDonald came out on top for providing the most competitive proposal in terms of budget, timelines, design and overall implementation, he added.

The awarding of contract comes following the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between BAC and nogaholding earlier this year to establish a national joint venture company for the overall management and operation of the fuelling complex at Bahrain International Airport.

Al Binfalah said: "Assigning the first consultants on the fuel farm complex within a few months of signing the MoU stands testament to the efforts exerted by BAC and nogaholding to fast-track this project and ensure transfer of the fuel farm into a state-of-the-art facility at BIA within the stated period of 24 to 30 months."

"Establishing the new modern complex within the BIA premises is a strategic move and will greatly benefit the airlines in specific and BIA’s customers overall," he added.-TradeArabia News Service