Boskalis takes part in the world’s most controversial architecture project

Neom – said to be the brainchild of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) – is a futuristic mega-city planned for construction in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

It will consist of three regions including The Line – a ‘smart city’ encased in mirrored walls that designers say will run on 100 per cent renewable energy, with no streets and no cars.

Described as “a civilisational revolution that puts humans first”, The Line will extend for 170km and promises residents they’ll be able to travel on public transport from one end of the city to the other in 20 minutes.

All amenities would be available within a five-minute walk.

MBS said that Neom – arguably the world’s largest and most controversial architecture project – will have the capacity to accommodate 450,000 people by 2026 and nine million by 2045.

Boskalis has won a contract for a Red Sea port development to service the new futuristic city.

A couple of weeks ago, the Dutch giant was awarded “a significant contract for the development of a port on the Red Sea coastline of Saudi Arabia as the first step in the development of a new futuristic city,” the company said.

The dredging scope will be executed with a mega cutter suction dredger and this project is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Neom will be made up of a number of regions – including The Line, center for advanced and clean industries Oxagon, the mountain destination Trojena and the luxury island resort Sindalah.

Oxagon is planned as an octagon-shaped port city that will be built on the Red Sea at the far south of the Neom region. According to Neom’s developer, the port and logistics hub will be the “world’s largest floating structure”.

Trojena is planned as ski resort in the Sarwat Mountains near the north of the Neom region. The 60-square-kilometre skiing and outdoor-activity resort will offer year-round skiing and is set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Sindalah is planned as an island resort within the Red Sea. Aimed at the yachting community, the 840,000-square-metre island will have an 86-berth marina and numerous hotels.

Neom is working to ambitious timelines, with much of the project set to be built by 2030.

The first element scheduled for completion is the Sindalah luxury island, with the developer of Neom aiming to welcome its first guests in early 2024.

Port city Oxagon will follow shortly after, with the first residents planned to move in by 2024 and the onshore part of the city due to complete by 2030.