Project Updates – July 9, 2008
More than 50 leading experts on dredging and land reclamation have lauded the environmental and safety record at The Pearl-Qatar after touring one of the country’s most significant urban developments being built exclusively on reclaimed land, Gulf Times reports.
“I can say for sure that I have not seen a better project,” Central Dredging Association (CEDA) president Rewert Wurpts told the newspaper, while observing that reclamation on The Pearl-Qatar was perfect given that the soil is ideal for building solid foundations.
Reclamation work on The Pearl-Qatar was completed ahead of schedule by the Middle East Dredging Company (MEDCO), a joint venture between the project’s owner and developer United Development Company and the Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering of Belgium (DEME).
“The design element is so good,” Ronald Waterman, a member of the Government of the Province of South-Holland, a leading expert in coastal zone development, land reclamation and environmental affairs, told Gulf Times.
DEME project director Hedwig Vanlishout stated that all the visitors were very impressed with The Pearl-Qatar, which is very different from any other reclamation project they have seen before.
“Here it was more tailored and a lot more was achieved with fewer quantities of reclaimed land, which is an achievement in itself,” he added.