Big interest in Gulf project

Press, 10 April 1978, Page 14

Big interest in Gulf project

PA Wellington Wellington engineers will soon compile a Shortlist of New Zealand and overseas companies capable of design and construction of the first stage of a multi-million dollar Gulf port facility in Bahrain. The project, a development by the New Zealand and Bahrain Governments, was initiated during the visit to New Zealand early in 1976, by the Bahraini Prime Minister (Sheikh Khalifa Bin Sulman Al-Khalifa). It will provide New Zealand exporters with modern handling, warehousing and distribution facilitiers at the port, already prominent as a transhipment point for other nearby Middle East destinatins. Bahraini and New Zealand interests formed the B a h r a i n-New Zealand Trading and Storage Com-

any to handle the devopment. New Zealand’s S2M, 49 per cent shareholding in the company is now held by he New Zealand Export-Im-port Corporation for disposal to interested' New Zealand companies. B.A.N.Z.’s consulting engineers, Kerslake and Partners, advertised internationally for contractors interested in the first stage of the project, which could involve the design and construction on the 10-hectare site of more than half a dozen big coolstores, the two biggest each capable of holding 1500 tonnes of primary produce. A senior partner in the firm, Mr W. R. Thessman, yesterday described the response as spectacular. He said that a short-list of companies would be chosen within, the next few weeks and that a successful tenderer should be selected by July.

“We've received replies to our advertisement from many New Zealand companies and in addition we’ve had expressions of interest from Australia, Japan, Korea, Britain, the United States and of course Bahrain itself,” Mr Thessman said. A considerable quantity of the plant and equipment involved in the first stage of the new development was capable of manufacture in New Zealand, including roofing, insulated panels, reinforcing steel, electrical gear and refrigeration components; he said. The engineering firm has appointed two of its engineering staff to supervise design and construction in Bahrian. Mr D. J. de Lisle is expected to take up the post of president engineer for the project in Bahrian in July or August. He will be joined soon afterwards by the assistant resident engineer,

Mr G. N. Greenaway, who is now resident engineer for the Whirinaki pipeline from the Port of Napier.

Construction work in Bahrian is expected to take about a year to complete. The engineering firm has produced basic specifications for the port project, the site of which was reclaimed late last year with hydraulically-placed sand. When completed, the facility will give priority berthing to vessels carrying cargo consigned to 8.A.N.Z., whose facility will be designated a “free zone” by the local harbour authorities in Bahrain. This is expected to overcome problems of congestion for New Zealand exporters at Gulf ports.

B.A.N Z. will run the port facility and also will trade on its own account in the area, buying and reselling goods as opportunities arise.