Cranes rise in Kuwait

For this project Turkish contractor Limak Insaat is using 26 Potain tower cranes supplied by NFT, including six high capacity Potain MD 1100, 18 Potain MD 365 units and two Potain MC 125 cranes.

NFT Kuwait’s sales executive Ghady El Hachem said: “The six MD 1100 cranes will lift the heaviest material on site including concrete beams and columns, while the two MC 125 units will lift the lighter loads. The 18 MD 365 cranes are ideal for the main steel structure and will also assist with concrete handling work.”

The cranes are handling a variety of duties including the construction of the single roof canopy on the terminal building, which will feature 66,000 solar panels. The cranes will also help pour one million cubic metres of concrete and over 100,000t of structural steel.

Mammoet has been contracted by Limak Insaat to carry out the transportation and installation works. It will install all precast sections of the terminal’s main structure, which consists of 804 concrete elements each weighing between 200t and 360t. To complete the project, Mammoet will deploy nine crawler cranes ranging in capacity from 600 to 1,600t and 72 axle lines of self-propelled modular transporters.

The new terminal at Kuwait International Airport is due to complete in six years and is expected to help meet growing demand for air travel in the country. Spread across 708,000 sq m, the vast new terminal will have the capacity to handle 25 million passengers a year and accommodate all aircraft types through 51 gates. The building will feature three symmetrical wings, each housing departure gates.