Specialised microtunnelling and underground infrastructure across the United Arab Emirates.
Ditcher For Tunnels Contracting L.L.C. is a specialized contracting company delivering reliable and innovative solutions in tunnel works, trenching, and underground infrastructure development. As a sister brand of Concord Stars, we are built on a strong foundation of industry experience, technical expertise, and a commitment to quality execution.
We focus on precision-driven construction methods, advanced machinery, and skilled manpower to execute complex underground and tunneling projects safely and efficiently. Our operations are guided by strict safety standards, engineering best practices, and a results-oriented approach that ensures timely project delivery without compromising quality.
We partner with clients to provide dependable, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions for infrastructure development. Our goal is to support growing urban and industrial needs by delivering durable underground works that stand the test of time.
Driven by innovation and continuous improvement, we invest in modern technology, skilled professionals, and efficient work processes to meet evolving project demands. Through integrity, reliability, and technical excellence, we aim to build long-term partnerships and contribute meaningfully to the region's infrastructure growth.
Every drive is a controlled excavation from launch shaft to reception shaft. Four phases. Zero surface disruption.
Engineered shaft. The MTBM and the first pipe segment are lowered from the surface and positioned against the launch wall.
Hydraulic jacks push the cutter head into the geology. Excavated material is removed continuously via slurry circulation.
Concrete jacking pipes are added one segment at a time at the launch shaft as the drive advances. The completed pipeline trails behind the MTBM.
The MTBM emerges at the reception shaft. The new pipeline is in place. Surface infrastructure above is undisturbed.
Trenchless installation isn't just a technique — it's a different answer to the same engineering problem. Where open-cut imposes surface closure, depth penalties, and daily reinstatement, microtunnelling pushes the pipeline through the ground in a single controlled drive. The choice between the two decides cost, schedule, safety, and the city's tolerance for the work.
No road closures. No traffic diversions. No utility shutdowns. Microtunnelling delivers pipelines beneath active roads, buildings, and infrastructure without touching what is above.
Open-cut costs grow steeply past 4–5 m of depth. Microtunnelling holds a near-linear cost-per-metre as drives go deeper, making it the right tool for the deep urban network.
Crews work from controlled shafts, not open trenches. The public never walks past an exposed excavation. Fewer hazards above ground means fewer incidents and lower insurance exposure.
Minimal spoil, no surface reinstatement, no asphalt or kerb replacement. Reduced noise, dust, and carbon — and no disturbance to trees, watercourses, or coastal habitats.
Long single-drives between launch and reception shafts collapse the schedule. No segmental cut-and-cover, no daily backfill cycle — the line is in place when the MTBM emerges.
CIVIL & BUILDING CONTRACTOR
HEAVY LOGISTICS & MOBILISATION
SUPPLY CHAIN
ABU DHABI DELIVERY ARM
GENERAL CONTRACTING
UNDERGROUND & MICROTUNNELLING SPECIALIST
Trenchless installation of pipelines using hydraulic jacks and a steerable MTBM.
Subsurface placement of utility corridors with no surface disturbance.
Large-diameter stormwater conveyance and catchment systems for municipal authorities.
Gravity and pressure sewers installed by precision microtunnelling.
Multi-utility crossings beneath roads, rail, and built infrastructure.
Engineered launch and reception shafts with shoring and dewatering as required.
Survey, geotechnical assessment, and drive-design calculation for every project.
Underground delivery that keeps the surface — and the city above — undisturbed.
CATCHMENTS COVERED
3
TYPE
STORMWATER MICROTUNNELLING
AUTHORITY
DUBAI MUNICIPALITY
METHODOLOGY
TRENCHLESS
ADDITIONAL DRIVES COMING ONLINE
REQUEST CASE STUDIES →QUALITY MANAGEMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
Certified to international standards for quality, environmental responsibility, and occupational health and safety. Issued by Veritas System Quality Certificates Issuing LLC.
Ditcher for Tunnels Contracting recognises that construction has a profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health and productivity. The protection of the environment is one of our major corporate responsibilities — a guiding principle in the operation of our business, and a key component in the measurement of our business performance.
AS PART OF DITCHER'S ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS), WE WILL:
Strive to continuously improve the way we conduct business with the objective of performing work while minimising the impact on the environment and ensuring compliance with the contract requirements, environmental laws and regulations.
Effectively manage the use of hazardous materials and products, and ensure that effective measures are in place to protect human health and the environment when such materials must be used, stored and disposed of.
Develop and maintain appropriate emergency and spill response programs.
Promote reduction, reuse and recycling in all of our activities.
Promote efficient use of materials and resources throughout our construction jobsites including water, electricity, raw materials and other resources.
Commit to restoration and rehabilitation of all temporary construction areas.
Protect wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes and coastal waters, trees, vegetation, steep slopes and highly erodible soils.
COMMERCIAL LICENSE
LICENSE ACTIVITIES
LAST VERIFIED — MAY 2026 · ISSUED BY DUBAI DED
Microtunnelling is a remote-controlled, trenchless method for installing underground pipelines. A steerable Microtunnel Boring Machine (MTBM) excavates the ground while pre-cast concrete jacking pipes are pushed in behind it from a launch shaft, until the MTBM emerges at a reception shaft. No open trench is needed between the two shafts.
Open-cut excavation digs a continuous trench from surface to pipe depth, then backfills and reinstates the surface. Microtunnelling installs the same pipeline from two small shafts only — the rest of the route is undisturbed. That eliminates road closures, traffic diversions and utility shutdowns, and keeps cost near-linear with depth instead of growing steeply past 4–5 metres.
Microtunnelling typically installs pipes between roughly 500 mm and 3,000 mm internal diameter. The drive diameter is selected from the asset's hydraulic capacity, the ground conditions, and the launch-shaft geometry. Each Ditcher project is engineered to the specific diameter the design calls for.
Microtunnelling routinely runs at depths from 3 metres to over 30 metres below ground level. Depth is limited by ground-pressure tolerance of the jacking pipes, the slurry circuit's lift capacity and the launch-shaft design — not by the technique itself.
Modern slurry MTBMs handle a broad range of geology: cohesive clays, sands, gravels and weak to medium rock. Mixed-face conditions (e.g. sand over rock) are managed by selecting the appropriate cutter head and adjusting the slurry pressure to balance the face. UAE projects most often deal with sandy sediments and weak coastal sedimentary rock.
Drive lengths from 50 m to over 1,000 m between launch and reception shafts are common. The longest single drives use intermediate jacking stations to share the thrust load between successive groups of pipes. The driving rate depends on diameter, ground conditions and surface logistics.
Yes. Crews work from controlled vertical shafts instead of long open trenches, and the public never walks past an exposed excavation. Fewer open hazards mean fewer slips, fewer trench collapses and lower insurance exposure. Ditcher operates under ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety certification.
Sewer and stormwater authorities are the largest users. Potable-water mains, gas pipelines, power and telecom utility ducts, and rail/road utility crossings all use microtunnelling. In the UAE the technique is widely used by municipalities, sewerage authorities and utilities for urban infrastructure upgrades that cannot interrupt surface traffic.
Ditcher For Tunnels Contracting L.L.C. is certified to ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management) and ISO 45001:2018 (Occupational Health & Safety) by Veritas System Quality Certificates Issuing LLC. The company operates under Dubai DED Commercial License 1474890.
Ditcher operates across the United Arab Emirates, headquartered at Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi, with a sister-brand network through the Concord Stars group. Microtunnelling, pipe jacking, trenchless utility installation and shaft construction are delivered to clients building UAE public-sector and industrial infrastructure.
Talk to our engineering team about your underground requirement.
OFFICE — ABU DHABI
Khalifa Park, Office #302
Al Sheha Building
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
OFFICE — DUBAI
Saih Shuaib No. 4
Dubai Industrial City
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
PHONE
+971 2 517 6930