Global heavy lifting and transport specialist Mammoet said it has been contracted by Turkish builder  Limak Insaat to carry out the transportation and installation works for the new $4.3-billion terminal project at Kuwait International Airport.

A leading player in the region's construction sector, Limak Insaat is constructing the terminal on behalf of the Kuwait Ministry of Public Works.

The state-of-the-art terminal will significantly increase the capacity of the airport and establish a new regional air hub in the Gulf region, said a statement from Mammoet.

Replacing the existing terminal, this world-class building will increase passenger capacity to 25 million per year, it added.  

Designed to provide the highest level of passenger comfort, the terminal has a trefoil plan, comprising three symmetrical wings of departure gates. Each facade spans 1.2 km and all extend from a 25-m-high central space.

Mammoet will install all precast sections of the terminal’s main structure, which consists of 804 concrete elements each weighing between 200 and 360 tonnes. To complete the project, Mammoet will deploy nine crawler cranes ranging in capacity from 600 to 1,600 tonnes and 72 axle lines of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT)

On the contract win, Martijn Kuipers, the managing director of Mammoet Middle East and Africa, said: "We are very pleased that Limak Insaat has selected us as its heavy lifting partner and are proud to be involved in such a prestigious project that contributes to the development of the country’s economy."

Mammoet’s project manager Andrew Hefft pointed out that early involvement of a heavy lifting specialist was key to the projects of such a large scale.

"On this project we were able to offer our engineering input and advice on the selection of the right equipment to increase the overall efficiency of the project," stated Hefft.

Our client was able to fine-tune and adapt the initial strategy to optimise the entire construction approach," he added.-TradeArabia News Service