Saudi Arabia is planning on building a floating port called Oxagon, as part of its Neom development. They say it will be the world’s largest floating structure.
OXAGON is the industrial city reimagined – a place that provides everything your business needs to push beyond traditional boundaries.@NEOMOXAGON#NEOM #OXAGON pic.twitter.com/IbpEgSkEKi
— NEOM (@NEOM) November 16, 2021
The futuristic port set to be built on the Red Sea joins other projects in development by the Saudi Arabian ruler including The Line, Sindala, Trojena and Neom.
The Oxagon port will take advantage of the Suez Canal in Egypt as a major shipping destination hub. The Red Sea is already ecologically very fragile. It will be interesting to see what sort of environmental planning reports and investigations go into this project. Some countries, for instance, test wind factors for the birds when putting up wind turbines. Basic considerations. Based on what we’ve seen at the The Line, the answer will probably be none. This makes me sad especially when you look across the sea to Egypt and see how unspoilt it still is – in Sinai.
The Oxagon port will be the logistics hub for Neom, a large region to be powered with renewable energy as part of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 plan to diversify its economy away from oil, yet using as much oil money as it can right now to build bombastic out-of-touch-to-scale projects.
Oxagon port will be built in an octagonal shape on land and with part of it floating into the Red Sea. The port and parts of it as a floating city will be arranged around water-filled floating squares connected by small canals. There are plans for a cruise terminal and oceanographic research centre.
“Oxagon will be the catalyst for economic growth and diversity in Neom and the Kingdom, further meeting our ambitions under Vision 2030,” said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“Oxagon will contribute to redefining the world’s approach to industrial development in the future, protecting the environment while creating jobs and growth for Neom. It will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s regional trade and commerce and support creating a new focal point for global trade flows.”
Countries nearby like Israel already have an international marine research center in place in Eilat for decades where they study climate change, ancient tsunamis, and the effects of human traffic at sea on wildlife. Please Saudi Arabia, be in touch with this center and work towards a future we can all be proud of.
