Abu Dhabi hospital block worth €60m next for Sisk

IRISH CONSTRUCTION group, Sisk, is set to build a new €60 million hospital block in Abu Dhabi for an international healthcare group after signing its first contract in the middle-eastern country.

Sisk this week signed the contract to build the extension to the hospital in Abu Dhabi’s second city, Al Ain, for US non-profit healthcare group, Cure International.

The deal comes 18 months after the Irish operation first opened an office in Abu Dhabi and bought a 49 per cent stake in a local group, Emirates Al Nasr Building and Construction Company.

According to chief executive, Liam Nagle, Sisk is underaking the hospital development on its own. It plans to work on smaller deals with Emirates Al Nasr, which recently won a contract to build an office block for the Emirates federal army. This will be worth about €10 million to the Irish company.

Sisk moved 100-Irish staff to its international business over the last year, workers who Mr Nagle said it might have had to lay off.

Along with seeking building and civil engineering contracts outside Ireland, Sisk began to expand into medical supplies distribution in 2006.

It now owns five businesses in that sector. Their operations are focused mainly in Ireland and Britain.

Mr Nagle said that given the recession in the Republic and the slowdown in the rate of State-funded projects coming on stream, its continued development now depends on diversifying its business and expanding overseas.