22
REGIONAL REPORT: NORTH AFRICA
international
construction
december 2013
Mixed region
Expected to carry up to 10 million passengers a year, the 350
km rail line will link the country’s economic center, Casablanca,
with one of the major cities in the north, Tangier. The project is
estimated to cost US$ 4 billion and is scheduled to start running
in 2015.
Two, 29 tonne class SDLG LG6300 excavators – the first two
excavators from the manufacturer to arrive in Morocco – are
being used by Chinese contractor COVEQ on the project.
The LG6300 ihas a wide chassis for increased stability and
reinforced X-shaped lower brackets on the extended crawler.
SDLG said this configuration allows the unit to adapt well
to different working conditions while offering lower fuel
consumption and higher performance.
Liebherr also produces especially robust machines targeted at
S
ix years ago, French contractor Razel-Bec used two of its Potain 12 tonne capacity
MD 345 cranes to support construction of Algeria’s Koudiat Acerdoune dam, where it
worked 24/7 to help the project meet its deadline and budget targets.
When it won a contract to build the new
€
175 million (US$ 236 million) Tabellout Dam for
the Algerian government, it selected the same pair of cranes from its fleet, giving both an
inspection and overhaul before sending them off.
The new Tabellout dam is being built at Jijel, close to the northeastern town of Sétif, 350 km
from Algiers and 30 km from the coast. Also selected to work on the project was a 16 tonne
capacity MD 365, supplied by international rental company Arcomet, and an 18 tonne capacity
MD 175, also from Razel-Bec’s own fleet, which will construct the headrace tunnel feeding the
dam’s turbines.
Jacky Legras, crane fleet manager at Razel-Bec, said, “Support is available whenever we
need it, whether it’s advice on configuring a crane or guidance on parts and service. One
call to a Manitowoc [owner of the Potain brand] contact centre and we have a crane expert
to handle all of our service and technical
needs.”
The cranes are providing general lifting
and concrete pouring duties on the project.
Some 1 million m
3
of concrete will be used
in the dam, which is being built from roller
compacted concrete (RCC). Once complete,
the dam will be 120 m high and 400 m
across, while thickness will range from
100 m at ground level to 8 m at the crest.
Construction will take 45 months and once
complete, the project will provide34 million
m
3
of drinking water and 88 million m
3
of
water for agricultural use a year.
Building on experience
Algerian dam project uses familiar equipment
this region, including the new 50 tonne class R 956 and 60 tonne
class R 960 excavators – both sporting EU Stage IIIA / US Tier
3-compliant diesel engines.
The R 960, for example, is equipped with a reinforced
undercarriage featuring crawler-track components from the next
size larger excavator. In conjunction with a heavier counterweight,
this is improves stability, allowing the use of a larger bucket.
Meanwhile, the steelwork on the R 956’s upper carriage has also
been improved for extended service life.
Simplified maintenance and high productivity are also key to
the design of Caterpillar’s new 320D Series 2 Excavator for the
African, Middle East and CIS markets.
The main features of this 22 tonne class machine include a
powerful hydraulic system, durable main structures and a refined
operator station.
In addition, its 104 kW Tier 2 emissions-compliant engine
has been designed to be a reliable performer in areas where fuel
quality can be poor. A new filtration system uses a primary fuel
filter / water separator and a secondary fuel filter to ensure clean
fuel throughout the system.
Active market
Looking at the region as a whole, Gaby Rhayem, regional director
for Doosan Construction Equipment in Middle East and Africa,
said the North African market was still very active.
“The biggest opportunities are in Algeria, while the Moroccan
market has been strong. Tunisia is recovering slowly from political
instability, and we are seeing more opportunities in Libya,” he
said.
However, Mr Rhayem also highlighted customs rules as one of
the challenges of doing business in the region. “In North Africa
the customs rules are very difficult and vary greatly,” he said.
“They can change at any time making business difficult as is the
case at the moment.”
Challenges
But other, arguably more detrimental
challenges also exist. For instance, North
African countries did not rank too
favourably in Transparency International’s
2013 Global Corruption Barometer,
where a score of one means not at all
corrupt and five means extremely corrupt.
Egypt scored an average of 3.6, Libya
3.25, Algeria 3.51, Morocco 3.54, Tunisia
3.08, Sudan 3.84 and Nigeria 3.25.
Allegations and proven instances of
Machines from
Volvo CE’s
Chinese joint
venture SDLG
are helping
to construct
Morocco’s first
high-speed rail
line.
