Yasser Tawfik

Overseas AST Co LLC

Overseas AST LLC is one of the longest established construction companies in the UAE. With a head office in Dubai, we have offices in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and operate in the UAE and other Gulf countries. AST was founded in Austria in 1898 by an engineer, Eduard Wilhelm Ast, and grew to be one of Europe's biggest contractors. The company ventured overseas to Kuwait in 1954 and began operations in Dubai in 1959. At that time, oil production had still to begin and the formation of the United Arab Emirates was more than a decade away. The first electricity had been produced by private generators only a few years earlier and kerosene lamps were the main form of lighting. Water was still distributed around town in metal containers. The bustling souq in Deira had 350 shops in covered walkways and was the largest market in the region. The population of around 50,000 mainly lived in huts constructed from palm fronds. Across the Creek in Shindaga was the home of the Ruler and the wealthier families who lived in homes constructed of coral and gypsum from the salt marshes. As today, the Creek divided Dubai and the only way between the two banks was a long journey around the end or on a rowing boat – the abra, which even today is a mainstay of the city's transportation. Proud to be a UAE company The company's first project in Dubai in 1959 was to develop the Creek and build the Maktoum Bridge, just the first of numerous landmark projects which have since helped change the face of the UAE. In 1983, two prominent UAE businessmen, Khalifa Juma Al Nabooda of Dubai and Abdulla Mohammed Al Mazrui of Abu Dhabi, acquired a 51% stake in the company. They bought the remainder in 2003. Currently Overseas AST is owned by two prominent groups, Khalifa Juma Al Nabooda Group and Al Mazrui Holding Company. Overseas AST now operates as a UAE company with the head office in Dubai and offices in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.