Palm Jebel Ali

January 2023

Nakheel is actively looking for contractors to complete the remaining 5% of the island structure.

November 2022

The investors will meet in London on April 10 when they will draw up a plan to pressure Nakheel to set a new schedule for the project, speed up delivery and ensure the original designs are not compromised.

They will also appeal to the developer to link their payments with construction milestones, in line with Dubai Land Department rules, and to provide guarantees against any future setbacks that could jeopardise their investments.

October 2022

September 2022

Dubai real estate developer Nakheel is set to relaunch and rebrand the Palm Jebel Ali project, sources told Arabian Business.

In a statement to AGBI, a Nakheel spokesperson confirmed that, “the Palm Jebel Ali masterplan is being revisited,” with more details on the way soon.

Palm Jebel Ali has been frozen since mid-2008.

August 2022

August 2022

Anecdotal report:

Nakheel is under serious pressure now to buy out all the investors holding on, offering to refund money paid and nothing else 20 years later. We have won a case against them with the DIAC and it has been thrown out the window because they have cancelled the project in RERA, trying to play very some very dirty games. This is all going to blow up in the public very soon.

June 2021

October 2018

The mega Palm Jebel Ali project in Dubai remains a “long-term” development, the CEO of its developer Nakheel has confirmed:

We are constantly reviewing the situation and at this point in time we don’t think we will resume work on it.

July 2017

March 2015

The Palm Jebel Ali Home Owners Group, in an open letter to Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah, said that despite the long delays in building the mega project, members remained confident in the company to deliver their homes.

The letter was published in response to comments made by Lootah earlier this week in which he told disgruntled investors that they were given the option to switch their investment to Palm Jumeirah but if they chose to wait until the project is resurrected there was nothing he could do.

In November, a letter signed by 74 investors in Nakheel’s Palm Jebel Ali project was sent to the office of Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, highlighting the uncertainly and negative impact the delay in delivering the project has had on the group.

Lootah said this week that the project was definitely not cancelled and Nakheel would resurrect it at some time in the future when market conditions make it viable.

June 2014

Anecdotal comment citing khaleejtimes.com:

...according to this article, info were released ahead of the forthcoming Dubai Real Estate 2020 conference which will be held on 9 and 10 June, says that Downtown Jebel Ali will be resumed and completed on 2020! if that didn't affect the Palm I don't know what will!! Of course in case that really happens.

December 2013

The National newspaper

December 2013

Anecdotal report: Just did a search under dubai land department and there 2 transactions in December on the Palm Jebel Ali for over 13 million dirhams.

December 2013

Arabian Business reports that Nakheel Chairman Ali Lootah said that the developers ‘other high profile manmade projects – The World and Palm Jebel Ali – will also be restarted soon once the market recovers fully, with 70 percent of the islands on The World already sold.

October 2013

October 2013

From Reuters:

Dubai developer Nakheel will restart work on one of the three palm-shaped islands that came to symbolise the excesses of the emirate's boom years, three industry sources told Reuters, in a sign the Gulf state is bouncing back from its financial crisis.

The sources said Nakheel, which was taken over by the government as part of a $16 billion rescue plan completed in 2011, would soon announce it had restarted work on the Palm Deira project.
The firm finished only one of its three palm-shaped islands off the emirate's coast - Palm Jumeirah - before the global financial crisis triggered a property market crash.

It indefinitely suspended work on the other two larger projects, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira.

July 2013

According to 7daysindubai.com, Nakheel boss Ali Rashid Lootah has said that despite a rash of new developments planned by the company for the coming years, it has no plans to dust off previously announced mega-projects such as Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira.

November 2012

Gulf News report:  A new Dh10 billion entertainment complex in Dubai, featuring five distinct theme parks, was announced on Monday.

The new complex will be located at Jebel Ali and feature theme parks based on movies, animals and fun characters aimed at appealing to all demographics.

It will offer multi-faceted leisure and entertainment facilities and will cater to both residents and tourists. Meraas Holding will oversee the new development.

The first phase of the development will be Dubai Adventure Studios, which was originally announced by Meraas in December 2011. It is set to host Hollywood brands and will have a range of “adrenalin-challenging rides and attractions that will be accessible to people of all ages.”...

November 2012

... A second park will be named Bollywood Parks, and will focus the immense global appeal of Indian cinema. Meraas has partnered with several major film studios in Mumbai to provide content, while a large theatre within the park is expected to showcase Broadway-style musicals. The theatre will also become part of Dubai’s annual entertainment calendar.

A water and marine life park will showcase aquatic life, animal encounters and live shows, besides rides and attractions. A theme park catering to the need of toddlers, preschoolers and primary school children will also be built, as will a night safari that will highlight the Arabian desert.

The theme parks will be connected by a district featuring retail and dining offerings. The first component of the development is expected to be completed by 2014.

August 2012

Dubai developer Nakheel said on Sunday it had sold a plot of land on Palm Jumeirah for AED400m ($109m). The 305,704 sq ft plot was bought by a local investor the company didn’t identify, Bloomberg reported.

Nakheel said the sale showed there were “clear signs of renewed investor confidence in Dubai real estate and in particular for unique products such as those offered on Palm Jumeirah”.

August 2012

Arabianbusiness.com reports that Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said the indebted Dubai developer is "not in a hurry" to pay AED5bn (US$1.36bn) due in creditor claims, and expects contractors to accept up to 80 percent less than what they are owed.

June 2012

A major coral relocation programme to offset underwater marine habitat lost to construction of Palm Jebel Ali is surpassing expectations. And thanks to the translocation in late 2008 of more than 11,000 living coral specimens to the northwest Crescent B breakwater of Palm Jebel Ali, marine life is thriving.

A new underwater survey of the site shows that more than 30 types of fish now call the relocated coral system home – a third more than on natural reefs off Dubai.

May 2012

Anecdotal report:

...looking at Google Maps there is clear indication of some sort of construction underway at the beginning of the Crescent (the Jebel Ali Port side). Nothing major but it is something. I could make out fresh dirt, some construction equipment and a truck in a close up.

In comparison to previous images on Google Maps: On crescent A, the connecting bridge was only at piling stage, now the bridge is almost completed. On crescent E, only few pilings were in place, now most of the piling is done. The bridge connecting trunk to the fronds is now completed and all plant removed.

February 2012

Gulf News reports that Heritage Island, a new tourist centre portraying aspects of life and traditions in Dubai, will open to visitors next week. Situated in the Palm Jebel Ali Project at Dubai Waterfront, a Nakheel development, the Heritage Island is one of Dubai’s newest heritage and tourist attractions. The new island extends more than one million square feet, overlooking EMEG’s Ghantoot Reserve.

February 2012

Gulf News reports that Emirates airline has come up with a creative way of discarding roughly 18 tonnes of worn-out chinaware used on its fleet of 169 passenger aircraft whilst creating a new habitat for marine animals in the waters off Dubai.

Earlier this week on a flat blue sea early in the morning, a large steel tug steamed towards a point just west of the Palm Jebel Ali. Once anchored marine crews manoeuvred an on-board crane to swing bags of crushed china weighing a tonne each and released the non-toxic china pieces into the water.

With precision, 18 bags of material were emptied to create a carefully positioned layer on the sea floor of new china substrata with a view to providing a 100 square-metre nursery of sorts for thousands of young Gulf Pearl oysters.

As the oysters mature into juveniles, they migrate from grassy areas looking for a permanent seabed home, preferably one with tiny outcroppings on which to attach themselves in mild currents.

January 2012

www.arabianbusiness.com reports that investors in Dubai’s stalled Palm Springs project have reached a deal with developer Damac for a full, upfront refund on payments made for their uncompleted properties.
Of the 48 investors involved, 21 have received payment, and a further 27 are expected to receive their cheques in the next two weeks.

January 2012

Anecdotal report: Drove onto the Palm Jebel Ali, right to the tip of the fronds. This project is HUGE, much bigger than I realised. The distance between the main fronds and the crescent is considerable. There was only one building half built on one of the fronds, not sure what that building is but no activity as expected.

October 2011

August 2011

In an effort to end the stalemate with investors of Palm Springs project in Palm Jebel Ali, Damac Properties has offered them cash refund options, Emirates 24|7 can reveal.

Investors claim that company executives of the Dubai-based developer, who recently met them, offered the options of cash refund at 70 per cent within two weeks, or 100 per cent with 25 per cent paid within two weeks and the rest paid at 25 per cent over the three subsequent years.

Palm Springs was designed to be a 25-storey beachfront development on Palm Jebel Ali.

April 2011

Samsung restarts work on Palm Jebel Ali bridges.

MEED Middle East Economic Digest reports that South Korea's Samsung C&T has restarted work on some of the Palm Jebel Ali road bridges in Dubai.

The South Korean contractor was awarded an estimated $350m contract to build bridges on the man-made island in 2007. But work on the project was halted in 2009 following the collapse of the emirate's real-estate projects and financial problems at the project client Nakheel and its holding company Dubai government-owned Dubai World.

As part of the restarted works, Samsung will complete two bridges on the north of the island.

March 2011

Arabian Business reports that Nakheel offers refunds to investors on its stalled Palm Jebel Ali island development.

Buyers on the project, where five and six-bedroom villas sold for around AED16m at their peak, have been given the option of credit swaps or receiving a refund, Nakheel said.

Investors are reportedly being invited to swap their funds to units in sister project, Palm Jumeirah, receiving a credit note to be offset against an alternative Nakheel project, or a full refund in 2015.

... At its launch, Palm Jebel Ali was billed as a manmade residential and tourism hub set off the coast of Dubai. The real estate development was expected to be 50 percent bigger than the Palm Jumeirah, Nakheel’s first offshore project.

As part of the now-suspended Dubai Waterfront project, the island was expected to house around 1.7 million by 2020, Nakheel claimed in 2007.

October 2010

Gulf News reports that corals from Palm Jebel Ali are to be relocated to Jumeirah.

In 2008, around 11,000 corals from the Ghantoot reef in Abu Dhabi were relocated to an area north-west of the Palm Jebel Ali.  Within 10 months of transplanting the table coral had completely grown over the epoxy fixative and recorded a high survival rate.

But now the corals are going to be relocated to Jumeirah as the sedimentation caused by coastal dredging to clear harbours and provide beach sand in the area is slowly killing them.

October 2010

In an interview with Arabian Business Nakheel CEO Chris O’Donnell says his company was severely shaken by the financial crisis, but that progress and payments are now ready to be made.

By November 2008, Nakheel had laid off 500 — or fifteen percent — of its staff and some of its biggest projects, such as the Palm Deira, Palm Jebel Ali and the Trump International Hotel and Tower on Palm Jumeirah, had been sent back to the drawing board or even cancelled.

He went on to say that although eight short-term projects (Al Furjan, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights Clusters, Veneto, Badhrah, Jumeirah Islands Mansions and International City) were to be put back on the fast track, construction on Palm Jebel Ali, which began in 2002, is one of the projects that in the short term Nakheel would not be recommencing.

September 2010

The Palm Jebel Ali Members Club says it has appointed an international law firm, known for their litigation experience, who will shortly be writing to Nakheel setting out the Club’s position.

The Club will ask Nakheel to meet with its members to discuss their requests, but first they had to prove to Nakheel that each member has given the right for the lawyers to act on their behalf.

The Club has had a significant number of homeowners joining it and is now in a very strong position to negotiate, arbitrate or litigate with Nakheel. As long as owners have entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Nakheel for a villa on PJA owners are eligible to join the PJA Members Club. Whether they have a mortgage or are a cash buyer is not significant.

The latest news is that with their financial position improving, Nakheel now have some ability to resolve the members’ demands.

May 2010

We understand that Nakheel have sold about 1,400 Villas and Waterhomes. The weighted average price of these homes is about 3.4 million Dirhams. Assuming that at least 30% has been paid the average amount paid is approximately 1 million Dirhams or a grand total received by Nakheel of 1,400,000,000 Dirhams.

Many owners have paid a premium and the total equity we owners have at risk is likely to be in excess of half a billion dollars.

The Palm Jebel Ali Owners Board will fight for all Owners many of whom have different objectives.
If we don’t push Nakheel now they will walk all over us, just as they have done for the last 7 years.

PJA Owners Group is now an Action Group, those members who join will have many advantages and help.

May 2010

Reuters reports that investors who bought homes on a delayed project by troubled Dubai developer Nakheel are hiring a law firm to represent them as they seek negotiations with the company.

Investors in the developer’s Palm Jebel Ali have been offered options, including staying in the project, swapping the project into near-term projects or getting the cash back after five years without interest, Chama said.

Investors say they are unhappy with the developer’s offer of alternative properties, saying that they are unacceptable.

Nakheel planned to build 1,300 villas by mid-2008. The project was launched in 2003. While most investors have paid as much as 30% of the total cost of the properties, some have paid up to 50%.

May 2010

Message from Palm Jebel Ali Owners Group:

April 2010

Anecdotal report:

Hi Everyone, I am just back from the Palm Jebel Ali Members Club Meeting.

It went very well! The meeting room was full (about 40 owners with maybe 50 villas) ... we had a show of hands and 100% of the attendees will back the Club with the funds of 5,000 dirhams. This will enable specialist International Lawyers and PR to be appointed. Each owner will give rights to the Lawyers to act on their behalf, thereby the Club as a whole. ... All we will be asking initially, is that Nakheel confirm that the Contracts we have are sacrosanct in every respect. After which we will get down to the detail of how we can get construction started and how owners who want their deposits returned with interest will be dealt.

The next meeting will be in Dubai sometime in May.

April 2010

Palm Jebel Ali members club announce their first meeting to be held on Saturday 10th April at 2pm to 4pm at Avanta Capital Place.

We are intending to formalise the group, employ solicitors and a PR company to negotiate better terms with Nakheel. This will include bringing forward construction, holding prices, land registration, consolidation, and refunds with interest for those who have asked for a refund.

April 2010

The National reports that about 700 people who invested in homes in Nakheel’s delayed Palm Jebel Ali say they are unhappy with the developer’s offer of alternative properties, and plan to hire lawyers to argue their case.

The news follows Nakheel having outlined proposals to property buyers after receiving about US$9 billion (Dh33.05bn) worth of fresh funds from the Dubai Government to revive stalled projects and settle some of its debts.

Nakheel said investors in longer term projects, such as Palm Jebel Ali, were offered ‘more options in relation to their investments in these projects’ including ‘staying in the project, swapping into near-term projects, consolidating into other owned property [or properties], consolidating into a third-party property or receiving credit that will be useable against any property at anytime and redeemable in five years’.

March 2010

According to the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, Nakheel has been in discussion with its creditors and will announce a comprehensive proposal today. Bank creditors will be asked to restructure their debt at commercial rates. Trade creditors will be offered a significant cash payment shortly and a tradable security. Assuming sufficient support for the proposal, the 2010 and 2011 Nakheel Sukuk will be paid as they fall due.

In this proposal the Government is offering to inject approximately $8 billion in new funds, which will have a significant direct impact on the construction and real estate sectors and the wider economy, and to recapitalise Nakheel through the equitisation of the Government’s $1.2 billion claim.
Nakheel is an important part of the Dubai economy. The Nakheel business plan allows work to continue as soon as possible and puts Nakheel on a sound footing.

November 2009

News item in thenational.ae:

Nakheel offer casts doubt on project
The future of the vast reclaimed island is now in doubt.
Nakheel has offered investors in the stalled Palm Jebel Ali development alternative homes on other projects, casting further uncertainty over the future of the vast reclaimed island.

November 2009

Anecdotal report:

I have just had meetings with Nakheel. They are putting the Jebel Ali Development on permanent hold with no date for commencement of work. I believe that the reason for not saying it is cancelled is that they would have to repay the deposits.

Nakheel are trying to frighten us to exchange to other projects so that eventually they can make more money by selling villas at 7 to 15 million (not 3 to 5 million).

July 2009

Anecdotal report:

Just visited the "site", nothing is going on there. Cannot imagine that this palm will be completed within the next decade.

June 2009

Anecdotal report:

Yes this is confirmed; I was at Nakheel today, there will be no more sales or transfers on PJA for 3 months.

They are consolidating construction on there because they really can’t afford to build what they have set out because of all the negative premium sales....

Negative premium on a payment plan is not just bad for a seller, it has crippled them... they are probably going to reduce the SQFT of each villa or make less villas on each frond and release tips etc when things are better. - so construction costs are lower

They are also considering not building at all and just letting existing owners have the plot of land to build your own villa....

May 2009

Dubai World said yesterday it would complete all projects currently under construction but would delay any new developments, including a plan to build the world's tallest tower, until market conditions improve.

"Whatever is under construction will be continued. Whatever is planned will be shelved, delayed," said Dubai World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem yesterday. "Anything committed to we shall finish it, everything that cannot currently be financed will be delayed," he said.

Reuters

May 2009

Anecdotal report:

Visited the waterhome yesterday. The waterhome was built on the Dubai Waterfront land just behind Plus Properties plot. Layout was fairly good with a very large family area on the first floor. It was wooden in its entirety so i was concerned as to what the situation would be like when there are the odd torrential rains in Dubai. A nice touch was the provision of a small shower on the outside of the villa on the patio   One thing is for sure, these are ONLY weekend getaway homes and definitely NOT something for an extended period of stay.

An interesting tidbit that i heard while i was there was that RERA has apparently instructed Nakheel to return any sum paid over 15% of the contract price and also to place that 15% in an Escrow account.

March 2009

The following was in today’s AME website (an official property web site for UAE).

Over 350 investors in Dubai-based Nakheel's Palm Jebel Ali project have signed a petition urging the developer to reschedule their payment plans because their villas will be ready four years late, reported The National. Investors were told in January the handover of villas had been delayed to 2012, having initially been scheduled for June 2008.

February 2009

Anecdotal report:

Across the board they’re (Nakheel) laying people off 5-10 per day. Just last week it was 100+. 

The progress on PJA and water front has essentially come to a halt. The situation is so bad that the piling contractor for waterhomes didn't even have money to buy a load of concrete. They have stopped completely and started to demobilize. Now there are talks of redesigning these homes to add another 100 homes for extra money. There are 20 different ideas at the same time also. God, incompetence is scary at this place. 

The vibrocompaction contractor tried to flee the site with their equipment. Trunk-Spine bridge is a bridge to nowhere. The approach slabs on both sides were cancelled, so was the asphalt overlay, lighting, striping and utilities supports. I have no idea how they will provide utilities to the frond villas, although there are 3 different ideas floating around.

February 2009

Anecdotal report:

Here is the latest update: Piling construction for platforms for waterhomes contract, Trunk Spine Bridge and Spine Infrastructure Contracts = Suspended indefinetely due to non payment. It obviously means no waterhomes in the near future. Contractor will demobilize.

Vibrocompaction Contractor stopped all operations and now demobilizing. At least 2 more contractors in the process of giving notices to Nakheel really soon. I'll keep you updated.

February 2009

Anecdotal report: 

... vibrocompaction contractor has stopped working since yesterday, the waterhomes piling contractor has given a notice of suspension and the notice of termination may be coming as early as tomorrow. The main and crescent bridges contract had 6 bridges in the original contract. 3 have been cancelled and the other 3, the contractor has been asked to scale back by 75%. No payment for them either and they are not sure how long they will be able to continue. Absolutely no villa construction on the palm, they are excavating for utilities just a ploy for the home owners that the "construction" has started.

February 2009

Anecdotal message: 

Nakheel is broke guys, the whole Dubai for that matter. The situation is very, very serious. I've been trying to tell you for quite some time now. I'm not a home owner, thank God. But I can't see such injustice on investors and contractors. Yesterday a contractor tried to flee the Palm and they locked down the island to prevent him from doing that. Please cut your losses as early as you can.

February 2009

Anecdotal report:

Palm Jebel Ali - Frond F and K. I was contacted by Nakheel yesterday about the update on Palm Jebel Ali.

I have a garden home on Frond F, which will be relocated to somewhere else. Same happened to one of my friends who also has a villa on higher frond which is K. Have you any info on that?

Shall we accept that? According to them, Nakheel has right to move any villa to any place without advise.

February 2009

February 2009

Anecdotal report:

Busch Gardens on PJA plans shelved.

Here is another sad news for our beloved Palm Jebel Ali, hold on tight folks. Today's American newspapers report this: ‘Busch Entertainment Corp., owner of SeaWorld and other theme parks, has shelved plans to build four parks in Dubai, making the project the Middle Eastern state's latest casualty amid the international credit freeze.

February 2009

Nakheel have cancelled all sales on Palm Jebel Ali until further notice.

“We will definitely reassess sales strategies in the light of the current market conditions. Everything is under review now and we have no new plans for the near future. There are no sales on Palm Jebel Ali happening as of now. The only sales that happened were in the year 2003-2004.”

Ali Mansour, project director

February 2009

February 2009

Anecdotal report:

A few more people got sacked yesterday. Most Contractors on PJA haven't been paid for months now. They are showing signs of true distress.

January 2009

Report from an investor:

Just received Nakheel letter in US today. ... the images show the Crescent A causeway reclamation all complete including the retainer rock wall. The Causeway bridge connecting to the crescent A seems reclaimed as well... Causeway shows 2 cars going across each other, seems wide enough for a single lane bi-directional car traffic, plus parking space on each side as indicated in Brochure after plans were revised.

Possession is in 2nd half of 2011 and well into 2012.

January 2009

Anecdotal report:

The piling contractor has given his initial contract termination letter due to non payment for months.

January 2009

Water Homes Cres A Update Letter from Nakheel

January 2009

Anecdotal report:

The payment schedule in the Sales and purchase agreements only have dates, not milestones so Nakheel will say we agreed to the payment schedule by signing the agreements. The only payment which has a milestone is the final 10% payable on completion.

My fear is that as of October this year we will have paid 70% and the Waterhomes will still be 3 years from completion.

January 2009

Anecdotal report:

It is a complete chaos and turmoil within Nakheel. Nobody including directors knows if they will be here next week or not. The Contractors haven't been paid for months now.

January 2009

Letter from Nakheel:

"Reclamation work on the causeway for the Water Homes at Crescent A is complete. Infrastructure and platform construction, which form the foundation of the Water Homes, has commenced and the piling work is on schedule.

Completion of the first group of the Water Homes at Crescent A is scheduled for completion during the second half of 2011. We are in the process of preparing the update letters that are to be sent to all customers with more details on the construction. The letter should reach no later than February."

January 2009

Anecdotal report:

As I reported earlier the Waterhomes project is a 2 part contract. First, construction of piles and platforms and then the actual homes. Piles and platforms contact has started but it is already behind schedule and it is in serious jeopardy. Nakheel has told the contractor that they don't have enough money for 2009 and they are willing to extend the contract for another year or so. The contractor is weighing their options now. The picture should become clearer this week ... but there is absolutely no way the actual Waterhomes delivery is on schedule.

January 2009

December 2008

Anecdotal report:

The infrastructure for both crescents, trunk and spine have been put on hold. Trunk Spine bridge is near completion. Main and Crescent Bridges' contractor has been told to scale down their work by about 75% for 2009. Piling for water homes platforms contract barely started. The contractor was doing the test piles when they were told the same thing about 09. Now the contractor is reviewing their options and preparing a response.

December 2008

November 2008

Anecdotal report following a report in Arabian Business that Nakheel are putting a hold on the Trump Tower project on Palm Jumeirah:

‘Nakheel said work on the frond villas and infrastructure for the crescent would continue, while other phases would be delayed. And the Waterhomes?’

November 2008

Anecdotal report:

"Nakheel are making cutbacks apparently. I was told of a project manager who had his company car taken away and living out allowance cut. They don’t even provide free milk anymore for coffee.

That’s what I call drastic."

October 2008

The plot handovers started in October with the handing over of around 20 plots in Phase 1 of Crescent A. The handover process is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

For Crescent E, the first plot handover will be next year with the handover of all the plots slated for late June 2009.

October 2008

The Crown of Palm Jebel Ali is being reconfigured by Nakheel through large-scale land reclamation so that it resembles a giant killer whale.

The Worlds of Discovery will occupy 300 acres of the Crown and preliminary designs set aside 95 acres for SeaWorld, 115 acres for Busch Gardens, 45 acres for Aquatica and 25 acres for Discovery Cove.

Preliminary plans call for SeaWorld to occupy the easternmost part of the Crown; Discovery Cove will occupy the area around the whale's pectoral flipper; Aquatica, the dorsal flipper and Busch Gardens, the westernmost portion of the Crown.

October 2008

The Palm Jebel Ali project would also include 20 acres for the Worlds of Discovery Promenade, a shopping, dining and entertainment attraction with no admission charge.

An opening date of December 12, 2012 has been set for the SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove parks, while Busch Gardens is due for completion in December 2015.

October 2008

Arcology has appointed internationally renowned architect, Shigeru Ban, to design their first landmark project on Palm Jebel Ali (Dubai).

Shigeru Ban is an accomplished architect who actively pursues designs based on such ecological directives as 'conservation' and 'sustainability'. Described by the Guardian (UK) as 'not your average architect' and Washington Post (US) as a 'maverick among modern architects', Ban has undertaken landmark projects in America, France, India, Japan and Turkey. Ban's landmark $35.5m design of the Pompidou's satellite museum in Metz (France) is among his most famous work.

September 2008

Arcology, a newly established Dubai-based real estate company with assets of AED 4 billion, is working in close collaboration with globally distinguished architects to develop an exclusive range of eco-friendly, high-end residential and commercial real estate properties in the UAE and the Middle East.

Arcology’s first project, to be launched in October 2008, is located on the crescent of Palm Jebal Ali and will be a prime beach-front residential and retail development with a total built-up area of 330,000 square feet. All residential units will have 100% sea-views, and will incorporate leading branded products and materials within their design and construction. The project will fully utilize the latest technological advances in renewable energy sources as well as quality and climate control techniques, taking full advantage of natural sun light, shade and ventilation.

September 2008

Azizi Investments, one of the Gulf’s fastest growing real estate developers, today revealed plans for The Azizi Fontanne, an innovatively-designed, mixed-use development on Dubai’s iconic Palm Jebel Ali.

The first of five planned Azizi developments on the new Palm Jebel Ali, the Azizi Fontanne is a celebration of everything The Palm Jebel Ali represents, exquisite and innovative.

September 2008

Designed to the highest specifications in terms of architectural and environmental standards, The Azizi Fontanne is located on Crescent A comprising of G+16 and will include luxurious, high end residential apartments. The Azizi Fontanne will feature properties ranging from luxury, 900 square foot one-bedroom apartments to larger Loft, duplexes and 3,000 square foot four-bedroom penthouses with swimming pools, saunas and steam rooms.

The Azizi Diamond, the Azizi Crystal and the Azizi Platine will join The Azizi Fontanne on Crescent A, while the Azizi Onyx will have pride of place on Crescent E.

August 2008

Palm Jebel Ali bridge to 'float' above water.

The bridge is expected to become yet another landmark in Dubai.

The bridge is said to float above the water. "The bridge is not floating literally, but only in a poetic way," said the architect. "We have separated the pylon from the deck and the only connection in this structure will be the web of cables itself," he added.

"The pylons and the deck edges are designed as complex curves that will reflect the abundant Gulf daylight in a beautiful way," he explained. "Structurally, a cable-stayed bridge stabilises itself so it is ideal for this project given the nature of its location."

August 2008

The final design and structural design for the iconic bridge to The Palm Jebel Ali has been handed over to Nakheel by the architects Royal Haskoning.

The project involves creating an eight-lane motorway connecting Dubai's largest Palm Island at Jebel Ali, with the waterfront. The initial design involved a six-lane motorway.

The bridge will be supported by 72 stay cables between two 135-metre high pylons and include pavements for pedestrians and cyclists.

July 2008

Work is said to be progressing very quickly, with six excavators, eight dumpers and three dedicated barges with tugboats, working simultaneously around the clock to complete one designated sector of a breakwater.

On another corner of the island, vibro-compaction work is underway to settle the ground, which can take from 10 to 15 years if left to occur naturally. Vibro-compaction increases the ground density by reducing the voids between the sand particles using vibrating (compressed air and water) probes.

This process is the last step before any building activity can begin.

July 2008

Palm Jebel Ali will be connected to the mainland by three bridges, M1, M2 and M3. The M1 bridge will be 1,200m long, with four lanes on both sides. Piling work for the bridge has been completed.

The 450m M2 bridge, designed by Royal Haskoning Architects of the Netherlands, consists mainly of a deck resembling a hammock, suspended by cables tied to two 135m pylons. The lighting study of the bridge is being finalised, and the tender documents are being complied.

The M3 bridge will span 1,400m while the cross-over channel brides - C1, C3 and C4 - will be 350m long. The trunk- spine bridge will be 400m long, while a 1000m submarine tunnel will connect the upper left quadrant with the crown.

July 2008

It is proposed that the crown of the Palm Jebel Ali be re-shaped from its original outline to resemble a whale.

Another digression from the master plan is the widening of the island's spine. Originally it was exactly the same as in Palm Jumeirah, a 200m-wide corridor for traffic and utilities to branch onto the fronds on either side. But it has been widened to a width of 450m to accommodate multi-storey buildings.

Ultimately, the island will house up to 300,000 residents in a total of 13.5 million m2 of built-up areas beside the gorgeous azure sea.

July 2008

Changes to the project's specifications and land use were also made because of competition faced by forthcoming developments in neighbouring Abu Dhabi. The Dubai Waterfront project was also announced three years after work began on Palm Jebel Ali.

July 2008

The rock sea defence wall surrounding the island currently stands at 20,000m; it is the world's longest rock wall.

The populations of turtles, warm-water fish and dolphins have been noticeably growing along the area as the rock wall acts as an artificial reef and attracts and supports the marine life.

July 2008

Palm Jebel Ali's reclamation work is almost finished. When complete it will deliver 12 million km² of development land compared to the six million km² originally planned. Most of the extension work is concentrated around the fronds and the crown area.

The distance between the frond tips and the crown was very wide at 1500m compared to the Palm Jumeirah where the same distance is 500m, so it was decided after doing a feasibility study to extend the fronds.

July 2008

The 130m launching gantry crane takes almost two months to assemble and is counted among the world's largest cranes. it will be used to assemble the prefabricated section of the bridge's deck, the plan being to move one span which is 50m between two piers every week.

July 2008

Azizi Investments is developing a number of luxury properties at The Palm, Jebel Ali. The total area of their project is 1,467,847 sq. ft. on the crest A and crest E of the Palm, with negotiation for more plots underway.

July 2008

The two lines of poetry written in the design of Jebel Ali palm by H.H. Sh. Mohammed bin Rashid, roughly translates as:

Take wisdom only from the wise,
Not everyone who rides a horse is a jockey.
It takes a man of vision to write on water,
Great men rise to great challenges.

June 2008

Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC) revealed it would need to start to identify people to work on its four attractions planned for Palm, Jebel Ali, four years prior to opening because the market is so niche. BEC president and chief operating officer Jim Atchison said: "We're identifying people who would come here to be killer whale trainers because that's a job that takes years to train for, so the park will be open in four years and we're figuring out right now who will be the trainers here.”

BEC is also already working on developing its collection of marine mammals and other animals for the Dubai attractions.

June 2008

Local developer Nakheel is preparing to issue tender documents for the contract to build the landmark bridge that will connect the Palm Jebel Ali with the mainland.

The bridge will be 450 metres long in total and its longest span will be 225 metres. Its deck will be 50 metres wide and will hang between 135-metre-high pylons.

Royal Haskoning of the Netherlands has been appointed by local developer Nakheel to design the bridge.

June 2008

The Nakheel website states that ‘completion of the villas depends on location. Owners on the lower Fronds will start to take possession of their villas in 2010; those on higher fronds will take possession in 2012.’

June 2008

Designed to rival Sydney's Harbour, Rotterdam's Erasmus and San Francisco's Golden Gate, the Palm Jebel Ali (PJA) Bridge is the newest offering from Holland's Royal Haskoning Architects.

Spanning 450m, the PJA Bridge is being described by the architects as ‘a sculpture...a sculpture that works as a bridge.’

Not wanting to make ‘just another cable-stayed bridge with one or two central pylons’, they came up with the idea of splitting the pylons, moving them to either side and incorporating a deck that appears to float.

Standing at a 30° angle and towering 135m, the guardian-like pylons utilise 27 support cables each. There are three cable-stayed planes per pylon, so two planes support the deck towards the pylons.

June 2008

From the owner update received from Nakheel in March: Construction of villas will commence towards the end of 2008/early 2009 with the first delivery of properties expected in late 2010. Very soon we will be communicating the new payment terms and providing sufficient time to settle the payments.

May 2008

Royal Haskoning of the Netherlands has been appointed by local developer Nakheel to design a landmark bridge from Dubai Waterfront to the Palm Jebel Ali, which stretches eight kilometres out to sea.

The bridge will be 450 metres long and its longest span will be 225 metres. Its deck will be 50 metres wide and it will hang between 135-metre-high pylons.

May 2008

Anecdotal report: Even the Garden Homes have moved substantially - I called up to enquire about one listed at 8.5 M at the Betterhomes website. The no was 15, and the lady told me that for a quick sale 8.2 is achievable.

The current prices for the garden homes 8.2 mill, only confirms in my opinion that the Waterhomes (which are basically Villa's on stilts) are cheap at around 6 million. I rang an agent today who is offering a Waterhome at 6.1 million which in comparison to similar properties at Palm Jebel Ali is cheap.

May 2008

Anecdotal report: The prices for the Waterhomes have gone through the roof, seen these listed for 6 M on the Betterhomes listings.
I have been told by a very reliable source that the prices for these Waterhomes are going to soar incredibly.

May 2008

Palm Jebel Ali, is to have a 380-acre development at its top called The Crown, developed by Nakheel and Busch Entertainment Corporation, aimed at families and conservation. The Crown will have hotels, resorts and four theme parks. The theme parks include Seaworld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove.

Marwan Al Qamzi, managing director of the Palm Jebel Ali said: "Palm Jebel Ali has unique marine life and there are 504 water-homes. This is the biggest number of water-homes in the world. And Shaikh Mohammad's Floating Proverb will begin construction by the end of the year."

Al Qamzi said construction on The Crown would begin by the end of the year. It will be linked to the main crescent of Palm Jebel Ali by a tunnel on the western side and a bridge on the eastern side.

May 2008

Al Qamzi said the Palm Jebel Ali including The Crown development will house around 57 hotels and 23,000 rooms. The Crown itself will have around 3,000 to 4,000 rooms.

April 2008

A series of floating islands that spell out an Arabic poem when read from the air could soon be built in Dubai. The Floating Proverb will split the channel between the Crescent and the Palm Jebel Ali.

As well as houses, other proposals for the development include a rotating floating tower, a terminal for cruise ships, floating mosques, a floating beach, restaurants, and a heliport.

The development was originally mooted several years ago, but last week Dutch Docklands, in a consortium with Royal Haskoning, signed a contract with Nakheel to get the project off the ground. Its ability to rise up and down with the water could make floating architecture a way of coping with rising sea levels, brought about by climate change.

April 2008

Dutch Docklands is carrying out the design and preliminary engineering of the Floating Proverb, which will have a total surface area of 220,000 square metres. It will be lit up at night by a special lighting system. The poem which the islands will trace was written by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai.

It will be written in Arabic and, translated into English, means: “Take wisdom from the wise... It takes a man of vision to write on water.” The Floating Proverb could feature an array of luxury hotels and water homes - either floating or on stilts - that spell out the poem. Beachside villas, dive sites and leisure activities have also been suggested.

April 2008

The first stage of reclamation of Palm Jebel Ali is complete, while additional reclamation to widen the spine and lengthen the fronds - announced last year as part of the new masterplan - is under way.
The new masterplan also saw changes to the positioning of the project's water homes, which are now outside the crescent. The platform for the water homes has also been elevated by 40cm from sea level, while the island itself was elevated by 30cm.

April 2008

Infrastructure work on the project began last summer after a $350 million contract was awarded to South Korea's Samsung for the construction of eight bridges linking the mainland to the trunk and the crescent sections.

The bridges will eventually be connected to an estimated 125km of roads on the island and are expected to be completed by the end of November 2010, with the final phase of the project's infrastructure (work on the ‘spine' and the ‘fronds') set to finish in late 2012.

Two permanent desalination plants - each with an annual capacity to produce 55,500m³ - are also planned for Palm Jebel Ali. Total daily water demand for the project is expected to reach 89,000m³ a day by the time it is finished in 2020.

March 2008

Nakheel Customer Services says that land reclamation along the lines of the original master plan is 100% complete, and additional reclamation work began in the second quarter of 2007. Construction of infrastructure, which will take three years to complete, has already begun with work on the major bridges connecting The Palm Jebel Ali to the mainland well underway.

Construction of villas will commence towards the end of 2008/early 2009 with the first delivery of properties expected in late 2010.

A significant enhancement to the master plan relates to the extension of both the spine and fronds, giving an additional 2.30 million m2 of surface area. The new frond extensions have been widened from 88 meters to 130 meters and this means that several new villas with larger plot areas will become available.

February 2008

Extract from an interview published in Emirates Business with Chris O'Donnell:
"Bridges are already under construction on Palm Jebel Ali. We have infrastructure contracts underway on Crescents A & E and hope to commence villa construction in the fourth quarter".

February 2008

Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos., today announced an agreement with Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest property developers, to create the Worlds of Discovery – SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – on The Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai.

Nakheel will invest the necessary capital to build and operate the parks. BEC will license its brands to Nakheel and operate the parks under a management contract.

February 2008

Worlds of Discovery Park Descriptors

SeaWorld is the world’s premier marine mammal adventure park with up-close animal encounters, world-class attractions and unforgettable performances that immerse guests in the mysteries of the sea.

Busch Gardens is the ultimate family adventure park, featuring an unparalleled combination of up-close animal encounters, live entertainment and world-class thrill rides.

February 2008

Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown,” which will resemble a giant killer whale when reclamation work is complete.

The Worlds of Discovery project will be phased and includes SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and, the company’s newest theme park brand, Aquatica.

Worlds of Discovery on The Palm Jebel Ali will also include a variety of other family activities, including resort hotels, spas, shops and restaurants.

Preliminary design work and site planning is underway, with the first phase expected to open in 2012.

February 2008

Discovery Cove is an extraordinary family adventure where guests have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with dolphins, rays and tropical fish.

Aquatica is a one-of-a-kind waterpark inspired by the South Seas that immerses guests in the playfulness of the sea, taking them in, over and under the water itself with some of the world’s most unique water rides and animal encounters.

January 2008

Nakheel project updates: The Palm Jebel Ali which will add a further 100 kilometres of coastline to Dubai is progressing at a rapid pace. Reclamation on the project began in October 2002 and reclamation of land from the original masterplan is now 100% complete. Reclamation of additions to the original master plan, including the lengthening of fronds and widening of the spine is underway. Primary breakwater construction work was completed in December 2006 by leading engineering company, Jan de Nul, and infrastructure work commenced in April 2007 with the construction of six bridges by Samsung which will connect to the mainland.

July 2007

95 per cent of land reclamation has already been completed and the full shape of The Palm Jebel Ali can now be seen from above.

The site will consist of two unconnected islands, each with their own infrastructure and connection to the mainland.

November 2006

Gulf News(extracts): When complete, Palm Jebel Ali will house a population of up to 250,000 roughly equivalent to Dubai's entire population in the early 1980s. The island will feature hotels, leisure facilities, a business district, schools and hospitals, approximately 2,000 villas and 1,300 waterhouses accessible via wooden jetties at the tip of each frond.

The housing density on the fronds will be the same as on the Palm Jumeirah.

November 2006

Gulf News(extracts): ... lying on the fringes of the Abu Dhabi border, the distinct shape of the colossal Palm Jebel Ali (the middle-sized of the three palms) has emerged from the ocean floor. Reclamation is now 98 per cent complete and the island's 20 km breakwater has been fully formed.

The overall land mass is 40 per cent bigger than the Palm Jumeirah at approximately ten square kilometres, with wider spaces between each frond of the palm. Its coastline is 70km long 10 km more than the entire natural coast of Dubai from the Sharjah to Abu Dhabi border.

Just four years ago, the site was a barren stretch of coast line close to the sprawling Jebel Ali port, one of the few remaining areas which could accommodate the project.

November 2006

Gulf News(extracts):... Matt Joyce, managing director of Dubai Waterfront Company, claims the foundation for the Palm Jebel Ali is better than non-reclaimed land. "Eight metres of water has 11-12 tonnes of weight, which compresses the ocean floor. We're building on top of what is the best possible foundation material," he said.

November 2006

Gulf News(extracts): The island will be connected to the mainland by three bridges, with plans to divert traffic to other access points should a major accident block one bridge. One Arabic Proverb will be fixed in the basin on each side of the island, built on a scale large enough to be readable from space.

November 2006

Gulf News(extracts): ... Once the island's shape and design were chosen, ten million tonnes of rock and 175 million cubic metres of ocean sand were dumped onto the sea bed, with scuba divers checking that every layer of rock was placed correctly.

Engineers built four openings to the open sea, each 250 metres wide, to ensure water flushing and circulation, a problem which affected the Palm Jumeirah.

Officials at Dubai Waterfront, the company managing the project, say vibro-compacting of the island's reclaimed materials is now underway and is expected to last 18 months. The method puts the placed material under enormous pressure and prepares the soil to levels which allow building work to start.

July 2006

Anecdotal report: Nakheel said that reclamation is finishing in September and construction will start right after that.

July 2006

Anecdotal report: Nakheel says the estimated date for moving in for Garden and Signature homes is mid 2008, and for Waterhomes, around the same time or a few months later.

The Villas have a totally different floor plan to Palm Jumeirah, so for people buying a villa there Nakheel will give you a choice in a few months time about what type of floor plan you want and the render.

May 2006

Press release (extracts): Efforts are on to amalgamate Palm Jebel Ali with Dubai Waterfront, two of the world’s largest waterfront real estate projects. Palm Jebel Ali, a sprawling residential development off the Dubai coast is to be managed and developed by Dubai Waterfront, a more extensive city project in Jebel Ali. New plans have been mooted to offer improved facilities and transportation links.

The largest waterfront development in the world, Dubai Waterfront includes the development of Madinat Al Arab which will be a self-sustaining city. Madinat Al Arab will have its own light rail system linked to the Dubai metro. Palm Jebel Ali is slated for completion by 2009 and the rest of the project will be ready in 10 to 15 years.

March 2006

Press release: Parts of The Palm, Jebel Ali, will be handed to developers as early as August, at which point they will commence their own construction, according to a Nakheel spokesperson.

...Work is in full swing on The Palm, Jebel Ali which is due for completion in 2011.

Major reclamation on The Palm, Jebel Ali, is 95 per cent complete, with the remaining five per cent due for completion in the coming weeks. The construction of the breakwater, which surrounds the island, is 98 per cent completed. And with the reclamation phase approaching completion, we will soon be entering the construction and infrastructure phase. The Palm, Jebel Ali, is 50 per cent larger than The Palm, Jumeirah, which is 5km in length and 5km in width.

March 2006

Press release: The reclamation and infra structure for the project, estimated to cost US$2 billion (Dh7.34bn), is expected to be complete around the end of next year. The Palm, Jebel Ali, will have 2,000 villas, garden homes and town homes, along with apartment buildings and 1,060 "water homes”, and elevated retreat homes, spelling out a poem by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

March 2006

Press release (extracts): Nakheel and the Taisei Corporation have announced a joint research programme to develop sea grass plantation technologies and to study suitable locations for its transplantation trials on the sea floor around The Palm Jebel Ali.

The sheltered habitat afforded by the palm configuration and the newly laid sediment between the reclaimed land masses has already stimulated a proliferation of sea grasses growing naturally at The Palm Jumeirah. However, in its role as a patron of environmental research in marine and terrestrial environs, Nakheel will work together with the Taisei Corporation.

February 2006

Anecdotal report: Construction of the water homes will be the last land reclamation to be worked on. It will have its own reclaimed crescent of about 12km for road access. They can't start it now, as it would be in the way for the huge reclamation ships. They might start reclaiming the inner crescent by early next year with the water homes to be completed in 2010 or so; not earlier! The whole project will be completed around 2012.

January 2006

In addition to Palm Island and The World, Dubai is developing Palm Jebel Ali. With this palm, which is one and a half times the size of the first Palm, Dubai will write on the water life-sized. The poetic texts are of philosophic nature and are written by the Sheikh.

The project will include 80 floating Arabic words with a total surface of 350.000m² of floating building ground, on which 404 houses will be built. The company PalmMarine from Dubai has been asked to present a tender for the realisation and design of this project and called upon the Dutch specialist Waterstudio.NL for their expertise.

A total package with the complete architecture and innovative solutions was offered to Nakheel, the largest developer in Dubai, and owned by the Sheikh, on March 14th 2006.

May 2005

The Breakwater and Crescent are now visible above sea level, with the remaining reclamation to be completed by the last quarter of 2005. Eight fronds have also been reclaimed on the western half of the project, and the half-moon extension, known as the Crescent's Headland, is also complete.

May 2005

The master plan has recently been developed to include the newly completed headland at the centre of The Crescent which will become a hub for business.

May 2005

More than 80 million out of 140 million cubic metres of land has already been reclaimed.

May 2005

Five trailing hopper suction dredgers and one cutter dredger collect and discharge sand to build the islands.

May 2005

60 per cent of land reclamation complete and six million tonnes of rock already placed.

May 2005

Situated at the centre of the 16 kilometre Crescent, the headland extends out into the Arabian Gulf adding a further 15 per cent of land to The Palm, Jebel Ali.

October 2004

55 per cent of the reclamation has been completed below and above sea level and 30 per cent visible above water.

October 2004

The trunk has been completed and is fully connected to the mainland. The reclamation of over four fronds has also been completed, and the Crescent is rising from the sea.

October 2004

The Palm Jebel Ali is made up of approximately 100 million cubic metres of rock and sand from quarries around the UAE.

November 2003

The Damac Group has revealed plans to develop a Dh250 million upscale residential project on The Palm, Jebel Ali to be completed in 2007. Known as The Palm Springs, the project is conceived as a 250-apartment facility located on the crescent of The Palm.

May 2003

Apart from the water homes, marketing of the 2,000 residential units on The Palm, Jebel Ali started last month. Prices vary from Dh1.87 million to Dh5.11 million. Also, in certain areas of the crescent, investors will be allowed to design their purchased plot as per their individual requirements.

May 2003

The Palm has introduced the concept of residences on water, which will be incorporated into The Palm, Jebel Ali, being developed at a cost of $2 billion. The project is scheduled for completion by end 2007.

There will be 1,060 single-storey, four-bedroom water homes, the prices of which are to be announced today at the Arabian Travel Market.

May 2003

The Palm, Jebel Ali is conceived more as a destination island, while The Palm, Jumeirah is more a mixture of the residential and commercial. The entire trunk on The Palm, Jebel Ali will be taken up by amusement and recreational facilities plus water parks, which combine carefully with the residences and commercial establishments elsewhere on the island.

Also four more marinas will be added, taking the total to six, plus the 'Sea Village', claimed to be the region's first sea aquarium. As such, The Palm, Jebel Ali will be 40 per cent larger than its sister project, The Palm, Jumeirah, and will be offering 800 hectares of additional land.

May 2003

The new residences will be laid out in a pattern resembling a verse from an Arabic poem written by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, which translates into: "Take wisdom from the wise people; Not everyone who rides is a jockey."

August 2002

Reclamation on The Palm, Jebel Ali, positioned as the ultimate entertainment destination in the Middle East, has already begun and full completion is expected by the end of 2006.

May 2002

Work on the Palm Jebel Ali starts this month with the construction of the breakwater and the beginning of land reclamation.

The site will consist of two unconnected islands, each with their own infrastructure and connection to the mainland.