Keller returns to Egypt for the second phase of PVD project Sponsored

Following the installation of more than 82.5 million meters of PVDs (Prefabricated Vertical Drains) in a vast industrial area near the city of Port Said in Egypt, Keller returns for the second phase of the project.

The endeavor is going to significantly increase business growth and investment to the country. East Port Said Industrial Zone is located on the east side of the Suez Canal and covers a proposed area of 64 million m2. The region is ideal for investments as tax exemptions, low operational costs and access to skilled labor is provided.

Keller was contracted by the Egyptian government to design and construct PVDs across a new area of 6.4 million m2 back in 2017. Keller implemented a relatively new technique for the crew and by using a large fleet of 22 rigs and a huge team of over 500 working in triple shifts, the project was delivered in just one year.

The government has once again put its trust in Keller to design, supply, install and test the second phase of PVDs. The project started on site in mid-June 2019 and will run until early next year.

Making working platform safety a priority

Keller always wants to apply improvements and make safety the number one priority. "Phase one of the project was very successful, especially as it was a new style of PVD installation for the team, but we always want to do better so we made sure we captured our lessons learned to make improvements on phase two," Project Manager Ahmed Helmy, stated.

An upgrade that will be applied involves ensuring the rigs have greater stability and therefore safety. Since phase one of the project, Keller has strengthened its global working platform standards – which the team is following. They're also carrying out rigorous proof-rolling across the site. As a result, there have been zero rig incidents so far.

Moreover, the team has now acquired a deeper understanding of the machine equipment. During phase one, the first rig took several weeks to assemble. However, it can now be assembled in just a couple of days. Similarly, they've secured more spare parts and carried out more preventative maintenance to ensure fewer breakdowns and less downtime. Four rigs are being used, with two as back-up and an excavator for the proof rolling.

Higher production rates

The team has also increased its production rates and is currently ahead of schedule having completed around half of the works. The plan is to complete the project several weeks before the deadline of May. Once the project is finished, Keller will monitor the ground settlement to ensure optimum performance.

"So far the project is going really well, we're achieving very good quality and have had zero incidents. We're looking forward to finishing safely ahead of time and adding more value to our name. This has been a very high-profile project and Keller has become one of the big players in PVDs across Egypt and the Middle East," Ahmed Helmy added.