‘UAE-Iceberg will NOT melt on way from Antarctica’

By Angel Chan

ABU DHABI 2 July 2018: The promoters of the UAE-Iceberg project have stressed that the proposed iceberg to supply fresh water to the UAE and beyond, will not “at all melt” during its tow from the Antarctica to the UAE.

National Advisor Bureau Limited 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, said a company statement.

The details of the advanced technology are expected to be announced during the fourth quarter of this year.

Reportedly, the cost of the project is estimated at US$50-60 million. The pilot phase of the project will kick-off during the second half of 2019 towards 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.

A scientific committee is now being set up consisting of scientists, experts, and specialists in the nature of Antarctica, icebergs and marine science, in addition to initiating collaboration with water research centers and universities worldwide.

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.

Icebergs are expected to cause a unique climatic phenomenon as the cold ice would attract clouds over the Arabian Sea to the center of the icebergs, thus creating a vortex that will cause rainfall. It will also assist in providing fresh water to the region, making the UAE a hub for exporting water to the world.

National Advisor Bureau yesterday announced the official UAE-Iceberg Project website: http://www.icebergs.world/ to highlight the most significant stages of the project, and its intended benefits in relation to the environment and the economy.

The Launch of the website coincides with the Year of Zayed, as the project aims to support the response to water calamities such as drought worldwide, and support other water projects aimed to promote the humanitarian work.