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3. MITSUI ADMITTED THAT THEY WERE MORE INTERESTED IN THE AIRPORT PLATFORM THAN IN THE BRIDGE. COSTAIN WERE GOING TO LEAD ON THE FORMER AND MITSUI ALREADY HAD TOA CONSTRUCTION ON THEIR SIDE AND WERE LOOKING FOR OTHER JAPANESE COMPANIES TO SUPPORT THEM. MITSUI WERE INTERESTED IN SUBCONTRACTING TO A DUTCH FIRM FOR THE BLASTING WORK ON THE ISLAND AND SUBSEQUENT REFILL WORK (THEY MENTIONED BALLAST NEDAM AMONG OTHERS - NOW PART OF BRITISH AEROSPACE). THEY WERE HOPING TO GET A US CONTRACTOR SUCH AS BECHTEL ON BOARD TO SUPPLY MACHINES AND TRUCKS TO THE CONSTURCTION SITE. THEY ALSO SPOKE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF INCLUDING NISHIMATSU IN THEIR TEAM, THOUGH AS STATED IN TUR, THE LATTER SEEM TO BE TIED UP WITH WIMPEY FOR THIS PART OF THE PROJECT. MITSUI SEEM TO HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF FORMING A GROUP WITH SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL CONTENT, AND IF THEIR AVOWED ENTHUSIASM IS FOLLOWED UP WITH CONCENTRATED LOBBYING TO FORM THE KIND OF LINE UP THEY DISCUSSED WITH US, THE AJC GROUP WOULD STAND A FAIR CHANCE OF LANDING THIS CONTRACT AT LEAST. WE SHALL KEEP AN EYE ON HOW TAKEYAMA IS PROGRESSING OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
4. I HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TO RICHARD HAND, TRAFALGAR HOUSE'S REPRESENTATIVE IN TOKYO ABOUT THE PROJECT, TO EXPRESSS OUR CONCERN ABOUT TH'S APPARENT LOSS OF INTEREST ON THE GROUND IN HONG KONG. HAND HAS TAKEN ONBOARD OUR POINT ABOUT TH'S EMPTY OFFICE IN HONG
KONG AND WILL PUT FORWARD OUR IDEA OF A HIGH LEVEL VISIT WHEN HE IS IN THE UK FROM 22 MARCH.
5. AS SUGGESTED IN TUR, THE DOCUMENTS ON THE BRIDGE TENDERS GIVEN TO US BY MITSUI SHOW THAT THERE IS SOME FURTHER UK PARTICIPATION
ON THE CONSULTING CONTRACT FOR THE SMALLER BRIDGE. RENDEL PALMER AND TRITTON ARE CONSULTANTS FOR THE HYUNDAI GROUP, SCOTT WILSON KIRKPATRICK AND PARTNERS ARE WITH THE ALL-JAPANESE GROUP, OVE ARUP ARE WITH HOPEWELL.
WHITEHEAD
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