Land reclamation in Dubai relies on precise sea wall positioning down to the nearest millimetre
Dubai is growing and growing, so every meter counts as potential new building ground – land reclamation is an important objective. Bilal Transport uses a SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ to position stone blocks weighing up to 7 metric tons for coastal fortifications.
Bilal General Transport LLC over two decades has been recognized as one of the leading construction and development services providers in the UAE serving many regional and international companies. BGT offers specialized services ranging from transportation and supply of construction materials like rocks, sand, aggregate and cement; to supply of construction equipment for Excavation, Levelling, Temporary Road Construction and Maintenance of Stock Piles; Quarry Management, Loading and Off-loading of Marine Vessels on site.
Maintaining the equilibrium – the most important goal, not just in coastal engineering
An international team of skilled Bilal Transport staff, from engineers to excavator operators, take care of the implementation of complex construction projects. Staff from over 15 countries are employed here, official figures suggest 1.5 million employees in the building sector in the United Arab Emirates. Together they drive forward major projects on a daily basis, helping skyscrapers rise upwards or reclaiming land bit by bit from the sea.
The whole thing is like a balancing act, testing out physical and structural limits and reining in the forces of nature. The majority of workers come from abroad – so demographic balance is an additional criterion imposed on companies by governmental organizations – no problem for Bilal Transport – they are well positioned with top marks – everything is in equilibrium here too. All that’s needed now is well-balanced machinery for deployment – and maybe that’s another argument for the new SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ.
Sand and rocks by the ton – positioned down to the nearest millimetre for land reclamation
The construction project where Bilal is using the new SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ is certainly one of the most complex current projects. The La Mer project in Dubai aims to create over 1 million square meters of new space for urban expansion.
In order to achieve this, around 9 million cubic meters of sand and up to 6 million metric tons of rock must be moved and positioned. With a reach of 35 m the SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ material handler is specifically designed to allow the precise placement of rip-rap stones down to the nearest centimetre to shape the new coastline. The special gripper, known as the Cactus Grab, allows up to 7 metric tons of heavy rock to be accurately positioned.
A GPS system helps position the rocks precisely even under water, moulding the coastal profile like part of a gigantic puzzle. The operator can place materials with unerring accuracy in not much more than 40 seconds. Previously the limited reach of earlier machines meant that the rocks had to be positioned from the water as well as from the shore, but the SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ now easily accomplishes the work exclusively from on land. This means that work is no longer constrained by the tides and, thanks in part also to the EQ principle using interconnected counterweights, the 880 EQ only consumes about half the fuel of previous models.
SENNEBOGEN 880 EQ: optimized for the demands of constant use
The machine was delivered to Bilal in September 2016 by our sales and service partner Swaidan Trading. The equipment measures 35 m in length and is fitted with a 470 kW diesel engine and a broad gauge crawler track undercarriage.
The upper carriage sits on a 3.30 m pylon and the forward position of the spacious and comfortable Portcab cabin offers the operator an ideal overview of the work area. The easily accessible Power-pack facilitates servicing because the engine and components are co-located in a compact energy station, protected from the wind and weather. All components are designed for the demands of constant use.
In addition the machine has been given a special anti-corrosion varnish for use in ocean environments. For the operators all that is required is to switch over from an excavator to a large material handler – with a bit of acclimatization and thanks to driver and technology training from staff at the SENNEBOGEN Academy right here in Dubai nothing stands in the way of a successful construction project launch.
