When a company announced plans to drag an iceberg to the UAE to provide millions of gallons of drinking water, experts around the world raised their eyebrows.
But Abu Dhabi business start-up consultancy, National Advisor Bureau Limited, is hoping to defy the sceptics to launch a trial of the audacious scheme next year, towing an iceberg from one of the polar regions to either South Africa, Australia or Norway.
If they are successful they will to attempt to tow the iceberg to the UAE in 2020 at the earliest.
“This would be the proof of concept for this project,” said owner Abdulla Alshehi.
The bizarre plan was first announced in May last year but was refuted as "just a rumour" by the UAE's Ministry of Energy who urged the public to shun such speculations.
But Mr Alshehi — who first outlined the idea in Filling the Empty Quarter, a book he published in 2015 — is unperturbed.
"It is a private venture. It is nothing to do with the government," he said.
"We are working to getting them involved. The government being involved would support the project very much."
If it the pilot project is successful — and Mr Alshehi fully expects that it will be — plans will be put in place to tow an iceberg all the way to the coast of Fujairah in 2020, he said.
The project is expected to cost $50-60 million, but if successful the plan could provide fresh drinking water for one million people over five years, according to Mr Alshehi.
“We have set up a scientific committee consisting of many scientists from many countries with diverse knowledge on Antarctica and icebergs and weather conditions, to assist and confirm our finding that this project is viable,” he said.
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The solid science behind the dream of floating icebergs to Fujairah
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The company is currently working on a technology which would ensure zero melt during the transportation phase.
Mr Alshehi dismisses the idea that the iceberg would dissolve rapidly once in the warm waters of the UAE, saying the technology the company is working on would ensure that any melt would be minimal.
The company will be releasing more information on the technology it will use soon, he said.
The idea to tow an iceberg was first mooted in 1949, according to his company’s website, by oceanographer John Isaacs. He proposed capturing an eight-billion-ton iceberg, 32 kilometres long, 1km and 300m deep, which would be towed to San Clemente Island for 200 days. He proposed that the energy required to tow it would be a fraction of the power used to desalinate water.
And it was concerns over the UAE’s reliance on desalination that drove Mr Alshehi to pursue the plan.
“We believe that desalination is not an environmentally friendly solution. It is polluting the Gulf and pumping brine in the water, so we believe we have to explore different water resources, which is why we are checking this idea,” he said.
The fact that it would draw tourists to the region would be a bonus, he said.
“We expect tourists will be attracted to the iceberg so we are excited about it from that perspective.”
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THREE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
