Enlarging small Malta

A fascinating project currently in full swing in Dubai consists of the construction of 300 islands, some four kilometres offshore. The islands are designed in such a way that together they will form the five continents of the world. In fact, the project is being called The World.

The size of the islands will vary between 15,000 and 60,000 square metres and each island will be available for investors who, at their own discretion, will be able to build hotels, apartments or private villas on the islands. In addition, the project will also have two marinas for shared use. The entire project will be protected by breakwaters more than 25 kilometres long.

To build these islands a quantity of sand estimated at 300 million cubic metres will need to be deposited in the area where the original seabed level varies between 10 and 17 metres The required sand is to be dredged at sea and transported over an average of 10 nautical miles to the construction site, using suction hopper dredgers. The project, which started this year, is scheduled for completion in the year 2008.

Now, Malta, although excellently situated geographically for reclamation projects, cannot possibly give rise to such colossal projects, because of our obviously limited resources. With some determined effort and expertise, however, the Maltese islands could have considerable land reclaimed from the sea, in some well-chosen localities.

Fortunately, thanks to the British authorities in Malta some years ago, charts are available, showing the water depths around the entire Maltese islands, a long distance out. These drawings indicate that, while the water depth offshore, in some areas, is excessive, there are other regions where the water depth is much less and therefore, development is feasible - other factors, of course, such as the cost of breakwaters, being equal.

While the amount of material available for dumping and the nature and properties of the material available will be the determining features in the design of the project, prime consideration will be given to the design and construction of the breakwater/s whose purpose shall be twofold, namely to afford protection in the area under construction in the reclamation stage as also to protect the reclaimed area and any likely future development on it, on a permanent basis.

Finally, if we are to emulate the Dutch, acknowledged masters of reclamation, the reclaimed areas need not even be brought up to sea-water level. A notable example of such works is Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam which is built at a depth of 13 metres below sea level. This factor will result in an enormous saving of dumping material and hence has the potential of increasing considerably the reclaimed area possible.