When the news first came out of a UAE firm planning to tow icebergs from Antarctica a couple of years ago, everyone thought it was a well-timed April fool’s joke. But it’s really not.
Most people have never seen an iceberg and unless you’re one of the few people on an expedition to Antarctica or the Arctic circle, chances that you’ll see one are slim as well. A UAE company however is planning to change all that. If they are successful, you’ll soon be able to spot an iceberg off the coast of Fujairah.
The UAE company behind the scheme to tow icebergs from Antarctica to the Fujairah coast has revealed to Euro News that it is planning to carry out its first test later this year, and will cost upwards of $80 million.
The National Advisor Bureau Limited said in 2017 its ambitious plans could cause a significant climate change in the region as cold air gushing out from an iceberg close to the shores of the Arabian Sea would cause rainstorms all year round.
In an interview, the company’s managing director Abdulla Alshehi said the first preliminary test would involve them towing a smaller iceberg via a tug boat to Cape Town in South Africa or Perth in Australia for water harvesting.
The test will cost around $60-80 million while the full project to tow an iceberg to the UAE will cost $100-150 million.
If the plan is successful, this project could completely change the weather of the UAE, and tourists will flock to Fujairah for a glimpse at the iceberg.
