Makkah Haram Sewer Line 
 

Flexible project design with remote solution for Mecca

The task

Every year, 15 million Muslim pilgrims travel to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed. This puts an enormous strain on local infrastructure. A sewage tunnel with a total length of around 5,000 meters aims to relieve the disposal systems. As access to the city of 2 million inhabitants is only granted to Muslims, service technicians from Herrenknecht are unable to support tunnelling on site. A special tailor-made service solution provides the answer.

The Herrenknecht service solution

Expertise on the construction site is required for designing tunnelling of the Makkah Haram Sewer Line as smoothly as possible. Prior to start of construction, Herrenknecht conducts 4-week training in Germany for the customer's jobsite crew. Jobsite personnel benefit from the workshop directly on the machines to be used subsequently during the construction project. Experienced service technicians from Herrenknecht explain application-oriented basics and special knowledge on mechanical, electronic and hydraulic topics and develop a wide basis of trust with the customer’s crew.

Furthermore, Herrenknecht collaborates with the customer on project design to develop the appropriate supplement to tunnelling support in Mecca. In an effort to provide the best possible support despite local restrictions, a 24/7 service is set up in Schwanau. Via a remote monitoring system, engineers at Herrenknecht headquarters are able to monitor all machine parameters in real time and provide the TBM crew with support as required. Cameras in the TBM also deliver real-time images of the jobsite situation. Despite the great distance, this permits direct communication between Herrenknecht service technicians and the previously trained jobsite crew as well as ensuring well-coordinated tunnelling.

Project advantages

• Only a tailor-made solution for the special situation in Mecca makes it possible to realize this project.

• Application-oriented training means that the customer’s crew is optimally prepared for operating and maintaining the tunnelling machine.

• Remote monitoring and remote access via MDT (Mobile Data Transfer) permits permanent tunnelling support of the TBM crew by service experts in Germany.