Work on schedule for US$ 1.8 billion Al Marjan Islands off Ras Al Khaimah coast

Rakeen, one of the Middle East's most dynamic property developers and master planners, has confirmed that work is well on schedule for the reclamation of the Al Marjan Islands, an ambitious US$ 1.8 billion man-made island development off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah.

Rakeen has contracted Dredging International, a leading international company specializing in amongst other things the construction of man-made islands, to carry out the dredging, reclamation and rock revetment works on this, the first project of its kind to be developed in Ras Al Khaimah.

Located 27 kilometres southwest of the Ras Al Khaimah town centre, the Al Marjan Island project is a cluster of four coral-shaped islands dotted with a variety of water homes, floating villas, hotels, resorts, sporting facilities and commercial spaces over a total area of 2.7 million square meters. 

Rakeen rejected 'hostile dredging' techniques to create the man-made islands, preferring a more natural approach by using surface fill with coarse earth material. In shallow waters and up to two kilometres away from the original shore line, land reclamation was carried out using land back filling. The remaining areas of the Islands are currently being reclaimed using sub-sea sand pumping. The sand is outsourced from deep offshore borrow areas very far away from the furthest point of the top of the Islands, in order to not disturb the marine ecology. Shallow surface reclamation along with sub-sea pumping, as opposed to the method of rain-bowing, eliminates the need for dredging channels in shallow waters and avoids sea bed siltation thus maintaining crystal clear waters around the islands for its inhabitants to bask in and enjoy. Additionally, instead of concrete ripraps that are visually unappealing and harmful to marine life, Rakeen has used over four million pieces of natural rock that are carefully laid one at a time for building the essential breakwaters.

The first step towards building a man-made island is to make a prospective design that sets as priority efficient water circulation and ensures highest water quality whilst maintaining stable beaches. For that state of art simulation, specialized computer technologies are utilized including flushing and water quality modelling. A physical model created by a professional marine consultant determined the height, the size and the weight of the armour rock and guaranteeing its persistence against the highest wave occurrence in 100 years. The design and construction of the ‘confinement bund’, the skeleton of the island that will contain the reclaimed sand, is the second step. The reclamation of Al Marjan Island is anticipated to be completed early 2008; the infrastructure on the third island to be completed by 2010.

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