. . . for the full conference programme, delegate information, exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, please open the pdf document below:

CuttingEdge_Exhibit_Sponsorship_Prospectus

In view of the number of EPBM, Slurry and Mixshield projects in North America today,  North American Tunneling Journal (NATJ) has partnered up with the UCA of SME to organize a one-of-a-kind conference at the JW Marriott Hotel, Miami, Florida – April 23-24, which will review state-of-the-art technology and facilitate discussion on the key issues faced during modern day pressurized TBM tunneling.

Packed full of informative presentations from worldwide experts, panel debate and forum sessions, a tailored exhibit, and the opportunity to visit to the Port of Miami Tunnel project site, this two-day conference is set to be a unique opportunity for contractors, consultants, manufacturers and project owners to come together share experiences and network.

The conference programme will cover the following topics :

• Opening Address: Conference Chair, Rick Lovat
• Pressurized TBM Tunneling in the US: Pushing the Envelope
• Ground Control, Face Support & Monitoring
• Ground Conditioning & TBM Control Systems
• Question Time Panel Debate Session: TBM Operation & Ground Control
• Innovation in TBM Technology
• Compressed Air TBM Interventions & Hyperbaric Safety
• Tunnel Lining Systems & Annulus Grouting
• Question Time Panel Debate Session: Open Session & Review of Seminar Topics

What is more, is that NATJ has vowed to donate 10% of its share of any profits to the UCA of SME’s new Student Scholarship fund, which will be used to sponsor promising students looking to specialize in the underground construction industry.

For more information about the conference programme, please contact:

Amanda Foley – Tel: + 1 (603) 452 7577 or email: amanda@tunnelingjournal.com

For more information about the sponsorship opportunities, please contact

Liz Jones – Tel: + 1 (303) 948 4216 or email: jones@smenet.org

Steve Caming – Tel: + 1 (603) 447 1187 or email: steve@tunnelingjournal.com

For more information and to book an exhibition stand, please contact

Dianna Gury - Tel: + 1 (303) 948 4213 or email: gury@smenet.org

Venue: JW Marriott Miami 1109 Brickell Ave Miami, FL 33131

Delegate fee : US$450.00 for members … US$550.00 for non-members

Exhibit cost: US$2,500.00 per 8′ x 10′ stand (stand space only)

or visit 2012 Conference on Pressurized TBM Tunneling

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) has published an announcement from Femern A/S concerning the planned division of individual construction projects for the fixed link between Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden. Now split into four major contracts, invitations to tender for the mega-project which includes the construction of an 18km long immersed tube tunnel, will be offered at the end of this year.

“The announcement sends out a message that the project is now underway and that pre-qualification and the time for tender invitations is close,” says Steen Lykke, Technical Director at Femern A/S. “In other words, it’s now that the international construction companies should pay attention to the upcoming projects. We’re anticipating strong interest from contractors worldwide and especially those from Europe.”

Due to the size and complexity of the Fehmarnbelt project, it is expected that large international contractors will form consortia in order to bid for the contracts. The overall construction estimate is DKK 40.7 billion, (2008 prices).

The four major contracts are as follows:

1) Dredging of the seabed and land reclamation. The contractor will dredge an 18 km long, 80 m wide and 10 m deep trench in Fehmarnbelt to contain the tunnel. Excavations from the trench will result in approximately 15 million cubic metres of seabed, which will be re-purposed for new land areas, primarily off the coast of Lolland and to a lesser extent, Fehmarn. The contract also includes other major dredging tasks, such as the harbour basin, which will be the site for production of the tunnel elements in Rødbyhavn.

2) Construction of the Northern section of the tunnel. The contractor will be responsible for half the construction of the tunnel length and thus half the production site for the tunnel elements in Rødbyhavn. In addition, the contractor will produce, transport and immerse half of the tunnel elements, which will comprise approximately 40 standard and five special elements. This corresponds to around 9 km of tunnel.

3) Construction of the Southern section of the tunnel. This mirrors and matches the tasks contained in the contract for Northern section of the tunnel. The immersed tunnel is divided into equal parts in order to attract as many bids as possible and so encourage competition in both price and method.

4) Construction of portal structures, ramps and associated land facilities.The contractor will build the tunnel’s two portals and the two cut-and-cover tunnels on land, i.e. the sections between the undersea tunnel and ramps in both Germany and Denmark. The contract also covers ramps and connections to the existing traffic facilities on land as well as all finishing work such as road surface and cladding of walls throughout the tunnel.

In addition to these four contracts Femern A/S will invite tenders relating to railway construction and technical installations in general at a later stage.

To coincide with the announcement of the contract division, Femern A/S will be inviting the international construction world to a so-called Industry Day in Copenhagen on 21 March 2012. The purpose is to provide further information about the project and to lay the groundwork for potential partnerships and joint ventures among the participants.

Steen Lykke says: “The Industry Day and the upcoming pre-qualification are primarily intended for contractors with experience of working in multi-national environments. The many smaller and medium-sized companies around Fehmarnbelt will get involved when the pre-qualified contractors begin to calculate their bids in 2013 on the basis of our tender material.”

During the summer of 2012, Femern A/S expects to invite contractors to a pre-qualification process in order to identify those companies and consortia that are able to bid for the four main contracts. The first contracts are expected to be put out to tender at the turn of 2012/2013.

The Danish Parliament is expected to pass a Construction Act for the project at the turn of 2013/2014 and, following the approval the German authorities, the construction work can commence in the summer of 2014. The aim is for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link to open in 2020.

Contractors and media representatives who wish to participate in Industry Day on 21 March 2012 can register at www.femern.com.

HS2 Ltd is to start essential environment and engineering survey work along the planned route of the new high-speed rail line between London and the West Midlands. The announcement follows the recent shortlisting of consultants for advanced civil engineering structural deign works worth some US$316M.

Alison Munro, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd said: “I’m very pleased that we are able to get going with the next key stage of our work assessing, in much greater detail than we have been able to do up till now, the potential impact of the HS2 proposals on local sites. We hope to develop close working partnerships with those affected by the new line and this licensing arrangement is an important step in that direction.”

The ecology surveys will initially identify plants, animals and habitats, then, if necessary, HS2 Ltd will carry out further detailed investigation for specific species.. As the project progresses the company’s engineers and  environmental specialists will also investigate ground condition and physical features, and take measurements.

This programme is an essential part of the collection of baseline data to inform part of preparing for the hybrid bill, feeding into the environmental impact assessment and design work.

The first batch of letters to landowners requesting a site visit has now gone out and work is expected to start in February.

Last week saw the advanced civil engineering and structural design contract shortlist released, with Arup; AECOM-Hyder; WSP; Mott MacDonald; Jacobs; Atkins; Capita Symonds-Ineco all in the running for the award.

London’s Crossrail has announced that it has adopted a new approach using cofferdams to restore and enlarge the existing Connaught Tunnel, to the east of the central tunnelled section of the project, which is safer and more efficient.

The Connaught Tunnel in the Royal Docks was built in 1878 and was part of the North London Line until 2006 and will be extensively refurbished as part of works to construct Crossrail’s new Abbey Wood branch.

Sections of the existing tunnel are in a poor structural condition. In 1935, larger ships began scraping the bottom of the Royal Victoria Dock which sits above the Connaught Tunnel. As part of work to deepen the dock, the central section of the tunnel was narrowed with brickwork removed and steel segments installed.

Crossrail originally planned to strengthen the central section of the tunnel by removing the existing steel linings and back filling the entire section with concrete foam. These tunnels would then have been enlarged by boring through the concrete to create tunnels that are large enough for Crossrail trains to pass.

Crossrail will now place cofferdams in the Connaught Passage between the Victoria and Royal Albert Docks, pump out the water and create a dry construction site allowing workers to dig down to the tunnel to undertake the enlargement work through a ‘cut and cover’ approach.

Linda Miller, Connaught Tunnel Project Manager said: “The central section of the Connaught Tunnel is in a poor structural condition. To ensure we can undertake the tunnel enlargement work as safely as possible we have now decided to drain a section of the Royal Docks and then dig down into the tunnel. This will be the first time the tunnel has been exposed from above ground since its construction in the 1870s. While we will be using modern techniques, we will be using a similar cut and cover approach that was used to build the original tunnel which saw the tunnel constructed first with the docks then built over the top.”

During World War II, more than 40,000 explosive devices were dropped on London with the docks and rail lines particularly targeted due to their crucial role in delivering supplies to the British war effort.

Connaught Tunnel was hit by a bomb in 1940. Crossrail will be undertaking further repair work to the damaged section of the tunnel.

Ahead of major works on the Connaught Tunnel commencing next year, Crossrail is undertaking an extensive search of the wider construction area to identify any remaining undiscovered devices that failed to detonate on landing during World War II. The geology of the Royal Docks area meant that some devices that didn’t explode on landing sunk into the first few metres of soil.

A team of highly trained specialists are currently using armoured vehicles with magnetic equipment to investigate the ground around Connaught Tunnel. Their work involves sending probes into the ground in three metre intervals and analysing the results.

Crossrail already has a detailed understanding from existing London-wide maps and ground surveys about where potential devices could exist.

The dock floor above and around the Connaught Tunnel has already been searched by divers and was given the all clear. The specialists will shortly begin surveying under Connaught Bridge directly above the Connaught Tunnel.

Any potential devices identified in the ground through the survey will be reported to the authorities for further investigation. Similar ground surveys will be undertaken at other Crossrail sites in east London.

Linda Miller continued: “We know from existing maps where bomb drops occurred in London during the 1940s. Ahead of major refurbishment work on the Connaught Tunnel, we will be undertaking detailed checks to identify whether there are any remaining devices that are yet to be uncovered. All the information obtained through our magnetic ground surveys will be used to update existing London-wide mapping as well as inform future construction projects.”

After surveys for unexploded ordnance are completed, Crossrail archaeologists will open excavation trenches in an attempt to locate evidence of human settlement and farming in the area dating back nearly 6,000 years. Working with the Museum of London Archaeology, Crossrail also aims to map the effect of the River Thames on the area during historic and prehistoric times.

Sitting above the Connaught Tunnel near Connaught Bridge is the tunnel pump house. This attractive Victorian building is too small to accommodate the larger modern pumping equipment that will be installed as part of the tunnel’s major refurbishment. Subject to structural surveys, Crossrail proposes donating the structure to the SS Robin Trust.

The SS Robin is one of the world’s oldest steamships and was built in east London. The ship’s trust is seeking a permanent berth in the Royal Docks and the pump house structure would form the quayside ticket office.

The cofferdam works which will commence in 2013 have been planned in conjunction with the Royal Docks Management Authority and timed to start after the London Boat Show.

Managing Director Bruce Munro welcomed the Wheatstone shore crossing contract. “Thiess already has a major role with Chevron in delivering its Gorgon LNG project and we’re delighted to be increasing our participation in the LNG industry,” Mr Munro said.

The Wheatstone shore crossing micro-tunnel will be 2.5m in diameter and will be delivered by tunnel boring machine and lined by the pipe jacking method. The microtunnel will accommodate a 1.1m diameter pipeline to deliver gas from Chevron’s Wheatstone and Iago reserves.

General Manager Tunnelling, Glen Ashton said Thiess is delighted to have been able to provide Chevron with solutions to some of the challenges of the project. “We have a great relationship with the Chevron team and we’re excited to be playing such a significant role in such a large LNG project,” Mr Ashton said.

“This is an exciting project for Western Australia and Thiess is committed to engage local suppliers and subcontractors which will in turn boost local employment and training opportunities.”

Engineering and procurement commences immediately for the design of the TBM launch shaft, jacking pipes, and TBM retrieval pit. Construction on site will commence after the cyclone season in 2013.

Thailand Underground and Tunnelling Group (TUTG) is one of the most active groups under the umbrella of the Engineering Institute of Thailand. TUTG core members come from various backgrounds – engineers, scientists, academics, researchers and practitioners with the same goal, to work for and to promote Tunnelling and Underground Space utilization for the country and the region in co-operation with a global underground construction and tunnelling community.

WTC 2012 Bangkok will highlight the fact that underground space utilization is important not only for particular nations or groups or businesses, but also for the entire global society. WTC 2012 Bangkok is intended to be a wakeup call for the decision makers in the region to realize the benefits of using underground space and importance of developing the global tunnelling and underground construction society.

. . . for Registration, Exhibition and Sponsorship opportunities, Accommodation and Pre & Post Congress Tours, please visit www.wtc2012.com

For 150 years, Sandvik has successfully operated and evolved by continuously being innovative and identifying new opportunities in the markets and through various shifts in technology. With the talent, experience and commitment of 50,000 employees across the globe, we now cast our gaze to the future and continue our journey.

On 31 January, we will hoist the anniversary flag and enjoy a spectacular fireworks display in Sandviken. An anniversary issue of the Group magazine Meet Sandvik has been published in 14 languages and a book presenting the company’s successful development will be released in March. During the anniversary year, various events will be arranged by all of Sandvik’s companies worldwide.

A selection of images from Sandvik’s history can be downloaded at http://mediabase.sandvik.com under the heading Sandvik Group/History.

Anders Wallin
Vice President Group Communications
Sandvik AB
Tel +46 26 26 09 20

P.S. For more information about the 150 years’ journey go to the jubilee site on the Internet: www.sandvik.com/150.

Putzmeister develops, produces and sells construction machinery world-wide, especially concrete pumps, for the building- and mining-industry, as well as for tunnel construction and large-scale industrial projects. Sany, based in Changsha, China, is a large Chinese producer of construction machinery and market leader for concrete pumps in China, which is the largest and fastest-growing market for concrete pumps and other industrial equipment world-wide. The business activities of Putzmeister and Sany are highly complementary geographically. The merger of the Chinese market leader in concrete pumps with the leading provider in most markets outside of China thus follows a clear strategic and industrial rationale: the creation of the global market leader for concrete pumps.

Both partners benefit substantially from the combination. Sany’s financial strength secures Putzmeister’s growth prospects and provides a significant competitive advantage. Sany adds to its portfolio technologically cutting-edge products and innovations “Made in Germany” and acquires a strong distribution and service network outside of China.

This transaction marks the first time that a large and well-known German Mittelstand company decides to merge with a Chinese partner. Karl Schlecht, founder of Putzmeister, said: “This merger is a global showcase transaction. Sany is one of the few large Chinese conglomerates which is personally operated by the founder, who is also the majority shareholder. In fact, Liang Wengen is one of China’s most successful entrepreneurs. He not only shares our entrepreneurial spirit, but also Putzmeister’s visions and corporate values.”

Aichtal/Germany will become Sany’s new headquarter for concrete machinery in the world outside China. Putzmeister will continue to operate with a high degree of independence in day-to-day management. Sany will focus on operations in China where Putzmeister will continue to be the premium brand. Norbert Scheuch will remain in his position as CEO of Putzmeister within Sany and will join the Sany executive board. The entire proceeds of the transaction will be transferred to the benefit of the Karl Schlecht Gemeinnützige Stiftung (KSG) and the Karl Schlecht Familienstiftung (KSF).

Liang Wengen, Chairman and founder of Sany, said: “With this merger Putzmeister and Sany will create a new and global market leader for concrete pumps. Putzmeister will remain as an independent brand with its own management within the Sany group. We are looking forward to work with the Putzmeister management, which made this business so successful”.

Morgan Stanley acted as sole financial advisor to Putzmeister.

HS2 Ltd has announced the proposed appointment of CH2M Hill, parent company of leading UK consultancy Halcrow, as its development partner for the next phase of engineering, design and environmental work on the London to the West Midlands line. CH2M Hill beat shortlisted companies Turner & Townsend, Mace, and Parsons Brinckerhoff to scoop the approximate US$110M contract.

Alison Munro, Chief Executive HS2 Ltd, said: “Now that HS2 is up and running, it’s time to bring new people on board and I’m very pleased to welcome CH2M Hill  as our development partner for the next phase of this  exciting project – we will now be able to move forward without delay.

“The appointment means that we will have world class project managers and technical experts working alongside us to deliver the design, engineering and environmental work necessary for the hybrid bill. They will bring, in particular, their highly regarded experience of working on HS1 and Crossrail, two major UK infrastructure projects that have direct relevance to our work.”

CH2M Hill is a global leader in infrastructure programme and project management and has recently acquired Halcrow, one of the leading UK engineering and environmental consultants. Halcrow’s experience with HS1 and Crossrail, and the skills and expertise that CH2M Hill demonstrated they could bring to the project, was a major factor in the appointment. CH2M Hill has also successfully delivered the construction for the 2012 London Olympics as the Olympic Delivery Authority’s delivery partner, and programme managed the London Tideway Tunnel and Crossrail.  The 80 strong team that will work alongside HS2 Ltd will largely consist of project

management and engineering specialists from the UK. They will project manage the

professional services companies who will  carry out the design, environmental and land referencing work for the London to West Midlands line. CH2M Hill’s expertise will ensure that the work is fully integrated and delivered  on budget, on time  and to the required quality.

HS2 Ltd is currently tendering for the professional services contracts.

HS2 Ltd is also creating around 90 new roles for engineering, environmental and public affairs specialists and other  roles within the company, for which they have started recruiting.

The appointment is subject to the completion of the mandatory ten day standstill period required under EU procurement regulations, which means that the appointment will not be confirmed before 3 February.

This is the second project win for the Blue Line Extension, after securing Contract 5 in which AECOM was also commissioned by CK to carry out the definitive design and construction support for the trackwork system for the entire 27km long Blue Line Extension and Depot.