ONDOAN has finished work on the Ismailia Tunnels in Egypt

15/01/2021

ONDOAN is about to finish working on the construction of two tunnels under the Suez Canal in the Egyptian city of Ismailia. This project, part of a series of development plans that constitute one of the most important infrastructure programmes in the world in recent years, is the most prominent international undertaking carried out by ONDOAN. Work started in 2017 on what has become our most substantial international contract; an enterprise that has required major human and technical resources.

ONDOAN was responsible for the electromechanical elements in the tunnels, covering three main fields: the hydrants for the fire protection systems; the network of pipes and conduits for the tunnel drainage system; and the necessary air conditioning facilities in the auxiliary buildings. All these tasks are almost completed.

Ondoan Egypt was established in 2018 to carry out and manage the tasks and resources for the project. During these three-plus years of work, a dozen ONDOAN specialists and technicians have moved from the headquarters in Zamudio to the city of Ismailia to support the local professionals hired in Egypt.

The Egyptian Government has built several tunnels under the Suez Canal as part of the Suez Canal Region Development Project. These tunnels will contribute to the expansion of the North Sinai and the development of the Suez Canal, helping to create a solid industrial zone and completing the road from Rafah to Nuweiba. Among these are the so-called Ismailia Tunnels near the Al-Salam bridge, to the north of the city.

The tunnels on which ONDOAN has been working are already in operation and consist of two tubes of the same diameter (each one for one-way traffic) that are approximately 4,800 metres long and cross the Suez Canal at a depth of 60 metres.