The Gulf-based Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners) is to finish Suez Canal Corridor Development Project by 2030, Director of Operations for Egypt Yehia Zaki announced Sunday. Dar Al-Handasah received the best technical score among the 14 tenders for the Suez Canal project, 86%, with the second best score being 81.6%. Upon the contract, Dar Al-Handasah will provide consultancy services and develop a master plan for the Suez Canal area spanning Port Said and Al Arish in the North to Al Ain Sokhna and Gulf of Suez in the South. Furthermore, Dar will create an integrated scheme for the area with the aim of attracting investors. Project's plan includes establishing three economic hubs in Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez in addition to upgrading East Port Said and Al Ain Sokhna ports. The plan also encompasses implementing four tunnels to link east and west Canal as well as linking El-Qantara with agricultural areas and establishing areas for food industries. During Al-Hayat Al-Youm show at Al-Hayat channel, Zaki stated that seven national firms are to do the necessary construction works for developing the region in cooperation with Suez Canal Authority. Zaki further added that Suez Canal Axis Development project will encompass Industrial, Maritime and information technology services. The Suez Canal Authority is charged with dredging works to develop ports, the official said. Founded in Beirut in 1956, Dar Al-Handasah became Dar Al-Handasah Shair and Partners after handing 60 percent of its ownership to senior management. According to its website, the engineering firm today boasts 6,900 staff members operating across 45 offices in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, with five principal design centres in Beirut, Cairo, London, Pune and Amman. Among the landmark projects across the region in the firm's portfolio is the reconstruction of downtown Beirut after the Lebanese civil war, with work taking place from 1991 to 1999, Cairo International Airport's Terminal 3, completed in 2008, and the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, a mega-project currently in the works. Dar is the founding member of the Dar Group, an international network of globally-recognised service firms.
