UAE Iceberg Project pilot phase to start in 2019 H2
ABU DHABI, July 2, 2018
The pilot phase of the UAE Iceberg Project is expected to kick off during the second half of 2019, a report said.
The National Advisor Bureau Limited, the organisation behind the ambitious project, has launched the official UAE-Iceberg Project website to highlight the most significant stages of the project, and its intended benefits in relation to the environment and the economy, said the Wam news agency report.
The Bureau put forward the project of towing icebergs from Antarctica to the UAE coasts to leverage them as new sources of water in the region. The project was met with wide international media coverage and commendations from different international competent bodies.
A scientific committee is now being set up consisting of scientists, experts, and specialists on Antarctica, icebergs and marine science, as well as initiating collaboration with water research centres and universities worldwide.
The company is currently developing a unique technology which would reduce project costs, ensure zero ice melting during the transportation phase, and facilitate water-transfer processes to costumers at minimal costs. The details of the advanced technology are expected to be officially announced during the fourth quarter of this year.
The cost of the project is estimated at $50-60 million. The pilot phase of the project will start at the coast of Perth in Australia, or the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. It will be followed by the necessary steps to tow the icebergs to the eastern coast of the UAE during the first quarter of 2020.
The project would also place the UAE on the glacial tourism map as the first desert country to offer glacial tourism on its coasts, saving iceberg enthusiasts the trouble of travelling to the North and South Poles, the report added.
