Reclamation work is well under way on the Al Marjan Islands, an ambitious $1.8 billion man-made island development off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah, according to its developer Rakeen.

Rakeen has contracted Dredging International, a leading international company specialising in the construction of man-made islands – amongst other things – to carry out the dredging, reclamation and rock revetment works on this project.
Located 27 km southwest of the Ras Al Khaimah city centre, the Al Marjan Island project is the first man-made island to be developed in Ras Al Khaimah and comprises a cluster of four coral-shaped islands extending up to 2 km at sea and dotted with a variety of water homes, floating villas, hotels, resorts, sporting facilities and commercial spaces over a total area of 2.7 million sq m. The project will have a central lagoon and will involve the construction of 10 hotels.
The reclamation will link several smaller islets, creating a Mediterranean-style waterfront which compares to the French Côte d'Azur. The current contract calls for the reclamation of 160 ha of prime waterfront area. Dredging International has to level up to 4.5 m CD, with sand that will be dredged from a borrow area located at 3 to 5 km from the island. Dredging will be carried out with care for the environment. The company is using a highly-advanced computer telecommunications system alongside sophisticated techniques to ensure precise satellite navigation and positioning for the dredging work.
Since the site is in very shallow water, the Belgian company will first assign a middle-class trailing suction hopper dredger for creating an access channel, through which two big-size dredging vessels can come in a later phase. Dredging International anticipates sending its TSHD 'Pallieter' (5.400 cu m) for deepening the access channel in the first place. Thanks to her special design and the minimal volume of process water required, the ‘green’ and very modern Pallieter is most suitable for this job.
“In shallow waters and up to 2 km away from the original shore line, land reclamation is carried out using land back filling while the remaining areas of the Islands are currently being reclaimed through sub-sea sand pumping,” says a spokesman for the developer. “The sand is outsourced from deep offshore borrow areas 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 rainbowing, 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. 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 rocks add a long-term value to the project as they will generate more marine life and help reef formation while adding lustre to the underwater paradise of the Arabian Gulf,” reveals project manager Dr Fawzi Shadid.
“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-the-art simulation, specialised computer technologies are utilised 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,” says Dr Shadid.
Elaborating on the contract, Dredging International’s resident director Jacques Paynjon, says: ”Dredging International is using 3D modelling of the Islands 3 and 4 breakwaters in order to ensure full compliance with the design specifications during construction phase. This technology provides continuous and accurate monitoring of the size, dimensions and location of individual rocks entailed in the breakwater construction.
“The 3D modelling system interfaces with DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System), an enhancement to the Global Positioning System (GPS). DGPS uses a network of fixed ground-based reference stations to broadcast the difference between the positions indicated by the satellite systems and the known fixed positions. 3D modelling relays the data to the rock installation machines on site, where advanced computer technology continuously shows the machine operator the exact type of rock required for a specified location.
“Rakeen has meticulously planned all phases of the Al Marjan Island project to incorporate the most environmentally-friendly practices during construction of the islands and also ensure – throughout its lifetime – multi-levelled sustainability, thus guaranteeing occupants a lifetime premium with the most conducive living environment in terms of health, safety, security and amenities,” says Dr Imad Haffar, COO of Rakeen.
At 45 minutes by car from the international airport in Dubai and 15 minutes from the international airport of Ras Al Khaimah, Al Marjan is expected to become a permanent home, a weekend destination or just an investment opportunity.