The World

Our client
Nakheel, the largest property developer in Dubai, wanted to establish world-class tourism in the oil emirate. As part of a wider government plan, it envisioned a number of amazing artificial islands that would host beaches, hotels, private villas and businesses.

The most elaborate of these is The World, an archipelago of over 300 artificial islands that form a map of the continents 4 km off the coast of Dubai. The configuration measures 7 km by 9 km and is protected by a breakwater 27 km in length, the longest ever constructed.

Our work
In the first stages of construction, sand was deposited in sandbanks to 10 m below sea level to lay the foundation of the continents on the seabed. Medium-size dredgers then raised the sand banks to - 7 m, and smaller vessels brought the height to - 5 m. Large-capacity trailing suction hopper dredgers used the rainbowing technique to bring the sand above the water level. Finally, cutter suction dredgers shaped the individual islands, which rises 3 m above the sea.

Our results
Preparation for the project began in August 2003. In February 2008 Van Oord completed The World, including the surrounding breakwater. In total, it transported 34 million tonnes of rock to build the breakwater and dredged, transported and placed 320 million m3 of sand to construct the islands.