If Nakheel has seemed a little quiet of late, it may not all be due to the financial crisis – the Dubai-based master developer has spent the last 12 months secretly doing its bit to save the planet.
Yesterday morning Nakheel revealed details of the largest single operation ever undertaken to protect a coral reef – a vital facet of the marine ecosystem.
The operation, a seven-week coral translocation project, has been kept firmly under wraps for the past year to safeguard its completion. Even now, the exact location is a closely guarded secret known only to a select few.
It has successfully opened up a large area of Dubai Dry Docks to allow for future development, while also maintaining the largest coral reef ever found in Dubai’s waters.
The successful translocation will also provide a boost to The World’s potential as a tourist destination by opening up a football pitch-sized area of the Gulf to scuba diving and snorkelling.
“The largest relocation that we could find that had been done beforehand was performed by Qatargas,” Nakheel Northern Projects sustainability and environment head Brendan Jack said.
“They had undertaken a major relocation during a project to install a pipeline. They moved 7500 coral colonies – while we had to move 22,000.”
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The operation involved the relocation of 5650 tonnes of rock from a Dubai Dry Docks breakwater to a location on the breakwaters of Nakheel’s The World development, between April 15 and June 3 last year.
“This was pre-economic crisis when all the developers were going full steam ahead,” Jack said.
The firm developed an innovative technique to translocate the coral, tugging the breakwater rocks it was attached to in a sling submerged three metres under water by a 90m transportation barge.
The technique has left 93% of the coral undamaged, compared to an average of just 30%-40% using traditional techniques.
Speaking at a presentation concerning the operation, a Nakheel spokesperson described the divers involved as “the most resilient workers I had ever seen in my entire life.”
Coral is a vital facet of Dubai’s ecosystem. It is an important link in the food chain and is necessary to maintain levels of biodiversity.
Nakheel also revealed that development of The World islands will be supported by an existing port in the Mina Rashid area, after canning plans to build a port inside Dubai Dry Docks.
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FEATURED COMMENT
To support Mr. Burbury's statements further, as at January 31, 2010, we have moved and transplanted 70300 corals.