Manitowoc Cranes Build Large Saudi Arabian University

Over 180 Potain tower cranes, Grove mobile cranes and Manitowoc crawler cranes are helping to build the world's largest women-only university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Set over 8 million m2 and costing approximately $11.5 billion, Princess Nora Bin Abdul Rahman University is one of the largest construction projects in the Middle East.
The three main contractors are Saudi Oger Ltd., Saudi Binladin Group and El Seif Engineering and Contracting Co.
David Semple, Managing Director of Manitowoc Cranes in the Middle East, said Manitowoc was honored to provide the majority of the cranes for this major project.
“The cost, scale and prestige of this project all combine to make it one of the largest projects we have been involved with, both in the Middle East and worldwide,” he said. “It is backed by the King of Saudi Arabia and is attracting a lot of attention.”
The first Potain cranes arrived in April 2009. Some were sold to Saudi Oger while others are working on rental contracts. All were supplied by NFT, the UAE-based Potain dealer that covers the Gulf region. NFT is one of the world’s largest tower crane owners and is one of the longest-serving crane suppliers in the Middle East.
Cranes from across the Potain range are being used onsite. The most popular models include 17 MD 365s, 16 MDT 368s, 14 MC 310s, and 11 MD 345s.
Nabil Al Zahlawi, Managing Partner at NFT, said tower cranes are managing large parts of the construction work.