"The market is looking good," said Tim Bowen, executive direction Middle East. "The region is cash rich as a result of its petrochemical exports and the Costain name and brand is very much associated with engineering excellence."

Herrenknecht recently announced that it has opened a full service branch in Abu Dhabi towards the end of 2012, which offers machine overhauls, field service and supply of spare parts. The company stated that the Arab market provides great future potential, with tunnel construction in the Gulf region facing dynamic times.