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29 March 2024

Images of undersea hotel to be built by Dubai firm

Published
By Staff/Reuters
Here are the artist’s impressions of undersea hotel to be built by the Dubai World's shipbuilding arm.

Drydocks World on Wednesday unveiled an agreement with BIG InvestConsult, which holds the technology rights, to build the World Discus Hotel.

The hotel, featuring a discus-shaped residential underwater building connected to another discus above water, will be funded by BIG, which is in talks with other investors.

"Drydocks and Maritime World is appointed as the exclusive main contractor for construction of the new concept hotels and cities floating in the Middle East," Drydocks said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the firms said two developments with five hotels attached to them are planned in the Middle East. The Swiss firm is eyeing the coast of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

"We are in the design and fabrication side for the project ... it's the same concept as rigs," Khamis Juma Buamim, chairman of Drydocks World told reporters.

"This project has seven different types of designs and (each will cost in) the range of around $50 million to $120 million. The amount varies based on the design."

"The discussions are to build these around the world, not just the UAE," he said.

“Water Discus Hotel project opens many new fields of development for hotel and tourism sector, housing and city sector in the coastal off-shore areas, as well as new opportunities for ecology support by creation of new underwater ecosystems and activities on underwater world protection. We expect to cooperate efficiently with Drydocks World, being an expert in high technology steel constructions. Additionally we would like to create here in the UAE the international environmental programme and center of the Underwater World Protection – with Water Discus Hotel as a laboratory tool for oceans and seas environment protection and research” – said Bogdan Gutkowski, President of BIG INVEST Group.