87 per cent of reclamation work completed in Dubai Maritime City

Infrastructure work is expected to start in a few months on the reclaimed area and will be completed in stages.

The total volume of reclaimed (dredged sand) material is now over 30 million cubic meters spread over a land area of approximately 216 hectares. The reclamation procedure started in April 2003; this is undertaken using sea-going trailer suction dredgers to recover sand, which is either "bottom dumped" or "rainbowed" by pumping sand from dredgers, or discharged by pipeline into its final resting place.

Commenting on the level of progress of the project, Amer Ali, Project Manager of Dubai Maritime City said:

"Reclamation work for Dubai Maritime City is well underway and runs parallel to the ongoing construction of the peninsula's breakwaters. The depth of sand placed for reclamation is 12 meters from seabed level to finished ground level at +4/+6 meters, which accounts to a total of 18 meters in total."

Three or four compaction rigs are used across the newly reclaimed land to compress the sand. These work incessantly using two 20 meter long steel vibrator probes which are lowered into the ground in order to achieve compression.

Ground improvement works began last December following technical trials to verify treatment methods down to 18 meters, below the finished level of the reclamation area.

When completed, Dubai Maritime City will serve as the world's most comprehensive maritime complex located on a 216-hectare man-made peninsula between Port Rashid and the Dubai Dry Docks, and surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Gulf.