RIYADH: The Red Sea Development Company, the business behind one of the world’s most ambitious tourism projects, has identified the optimal positions for the resort’s so-called “overwater assets” that will be built around four key islands along the Red Sea coast.

In accordance with the Red Sea Project master plan, the structures have been chosen to coexist in harmony with their surroundings, said John Pagano, CEO, The Red Sea Development Company. They include villas, restaurants and arrival points for two hyper-luxury hotels and one luxury hotel on Sheybarah South and Ummahat Al-Shaykh islands.

“The marking of locations for our overwater assets is another milestone reached for the project, and is indicative of the progress being made at the site,” Pagano added.

Experienced local boat crews carefully navigated the coral reefs in the area to place buoys marking the locations of the structures. They worked with TRSDC construction teams, surveyors, snorkelers and scuba divers to ensure no coral was damaged by the buoys or the concrete blocks anchoring them.

In addition to positioning the structures to minimize the effects on the environment, the operation also determined the optimum locations to allow them to function as part of a luxury resort, taking into account construction challenges.

SPA