When Shaher Moh’d Ali Awartani co-founded Silver Coast Construction and Boring LLC (SCCB) in Abu Dhabi in 1997, the UAE construction sector was on the edge of a long period of growth. Nearly thirty years later, SCCB has delivered projects worth more than USD 1.35 billion and holds a firm place among the emirate’s most established private infrastructure firms.
Awartani serves as Chairman and Co-Founding Partner. At its largest, the company has employed 4,500 people across a range of infrastructure work that spans civil construction, utility boring, and large-scale urban development support.
Building in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s urban expansion through the 2000s and 2010s drove strong demand for contractors with the capacity to execute large and complex projects. SCCB established itself as a reliable delivery partner, building a track record across residential, commercial, and utility developments across the emirate.
Awartani’s approach to running the business has centred on structured governance and sustained institutional relationships. His connections to major UAE sovereign and institutional investors — including partnerships with figures such as H.E. Yousif Al Otaiba and Mubadala Investment Company — reflect a model built on long-term strategic ties rather than transactional work.
Scale of Operations
Managing 4,500 workers across multiple active sites demands operational systems that go well beyond those of a typical construction firm. As SCCB grew under Awartani’s direction, the company developed procurement processes, engineering oversight structures, and financial controls suited to a pipeline of projects at the billion-dollar level.
SCCB’s specialisation in boring — underground drilling and tunnelling used in utility installation and foundation construction — covers a technically precise and regulated area of the UAE construction market. This focus has kept the company well placed as the complexity of Abu Dhabi’s built environment has continued to increase.
A Track Record Stretching Back to 1997
Very few privately held construction firms in the UAE have maintained continuous operations under consistent leadership since 1997. Awartani has guided SCCB through the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009 and the disruption of the COVID-19 period, both of which significantly altered the regional contracting landscape.
That length of operation, alongside a cumulative project value exceeding USD 1.35 billion, sets SCCB apart from a standard contractor. For Awartani, the firm has served as the core of his professional career and the base from which his broader investment activities across multiple sectors have grown.
