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2021 July August Marina World

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The magazine for the marina industry

MARINA UPDATE Al Qana:

MARINA UPDATE Al Qana: Abu Dhabi’s ‘Riviera’ Drama from the air! CGI showing the boulevard-style layout and bridges. Al Qana – the latest in a long line of impressive waterfront developments in the United Arab Emirates – is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. The boulevardstyle facility extends across 2.4km (1.5mi) of waterfront that is connected by four eye-catching bridges. World-class dining, entertainment, retail and adventure are offered in an all-year-round warm climate. Charlotte Niemiec reports The 107-berth marina, developed by Al Barakah International Investment and completed earlier this year, aims to appeal to both local residents and visitors. Those without vessels will have the option of chartering boats to experience the yachting lifestyle and, with its Riviera-style berthing arrangements and services, the marina is set to attract luxury yacht owners. Located in the Rabdan area of Abu Dhabi – the historic natural waterway bordering the mainland – Al Qana is one of the city’s most unique and iconic destinations. Easily accessible from Abu Dhabi island and adjacent to neighbouring five-star hotels, it is a prime location for both residents and tourists. With no high-rise buildings and towers in the immediate vicinity, Al Qana offers uninterrupted spectacular views across the waters to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the nearby Memorial Park. While the pontoons are now complete and boat owners can sign up for a membership scheme, like most marinas undergoing development during the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Qana experienced construction challenges. “We maintained a continuity of the project while prioritising the safety of the Al Qana community,” Andy Savill, waterway and marina manager at Al Qana, explains. “By implementing very high standards of health and safety for our office and construction site workers, we have managed to hit our set milestones at a reassuring pace.” The marina has been designed to accommodate yachts with a maximum air draught of 6m (19ft), based on the clearance of the four bridges that must be navigated to access the site. However, the marina will still welcome superyacht tenders and support vessels to ensure all yacht owners can experience Al Qana by vessel, Savill confirms. The marina will offer 107 berths in total – including its water taxi stations – ranging from 10-20m (33-66ft) with maximum shore power connections of 63 amp, 3-phase. The floating pontoon system has an aluminium frame and WPC decking with LLDPE polyethylene floaters and was supplied by PMS Marine Turkey. Al Qana will offer a unique fuelling service for its members, to be disclosed closer to opening day, Savill says, and all 15-20m (49-66ft) berths will have in-berth pump-out. “Al Qana Marina will operate 24 hours a day and have marina team members present to assist with any requests and on hand to deal with emergencies,” Savill explains. “But the UAE is one of the safest places to live and petty crimes don’t exist here, so security has never been an issue. However, it’s always essential for a marina to gauge risks and ensure control procedures are in place to cover any eventuality.” As a precaution, all gangways will have electronic gates and members will have access via RFID cards. The bridgeheads will have CCTV surveillance and Al Qana Cinema. 20 www.marinaworld.com – July/August 2021

MARINA UPDATE roaming security patrol officers will be available at all times. The marina will not offer its own boatyard, but nearby Al Bateen offers services and some newer locations are opening close by, Savill explains, which will offer higher-end services. Ideal cruising ground Abu Dhabi is an archipelago comprising over 200 islands and, as such, has a deep connection with the sea. Its skyline boasts gleaming skyscrapers, five-star hotels and enormous shopping malls, while watersports of any variety are easily found. The city is also an ideal cruising ground offering plentiful marina options to suit all boat owners. One popular option is the 227-berth Yas Marina on Yas Island, which sits alongside the Circuit Formula 1 race track, offering watersports, boat charters and more. The prestigious Emirates Palace Marina boasts full superyacht berthing facilities – 167 berths for superyachts up to 140m (459ft) and instant deep-water access off Abu Dhabi Corniche. The 50-berth Eastern Mangroves Marina provides berths for yachts up to 24m (79ft) in length and sits adjacent to the five-star Anantara Eastern Mangroves Abu Dhabi Hotel. Onshore facilities include restaurants, watersports and water-based explorations of the region’s famously lush mangroves. “The UAE has a longstanding heritage with the sea and Abu Dhabi has some excellent marinas and cruising grounds,” says Savill. “The industry is well matured and, to become a marina of choice among all the available options, you must deliver something unique and different from Sunset Terraces. your competitors. Al Qana will offer unparalleled service and hospitality, which will set it apart from the marinas in the region.” Five-star services “If you can visualise arriving at a five-star hotel where every need is met, this is the standard that will be delivered to members and visitors of Al Qana Marina,” Savill says. “All facilities expected of a marina today are available; however, a switch from the status quo of how these facilities and services are delivered is where Al Qana marina will stand out.” To help it stand out even further, Al Qana will feature the largest aquarium in the Middle East region, spanning 5,000m² (53,820ft²) The marina offers a total of 107 berths at floating aluminium pontoons with WPC decking. The Icon (VIP dining). and featuring the UAE’s longest water tunnel, with over 250 species of fish and more than 30,000 birds, amphibians, arachnids and reptiles. The lifestyle development will boast a large-scale supermarket, restaurants and cafés, convenience stores and a variety of essential retail shops for the neighbouring community, along with cinemas, theatres, activity centres, indoor theme parks, a virtual reality gaming centre, an aquarium and more. “With destinations ever evolving over the past decade, people are now seeking places that offer adventure and rejuvenation – mainly open air spaces with lavish landscapes and water features. For this reason, Al Qana aims to transform Abu Dhabi into the most livable city in the world, to meet the needs of new lifestyle trends. The experiences at Al Qana are rooted and uniquely inspired by the post-pandemic demand for a healthier lifestyle. In a very few years, the marina at Al Qana will rejuvenate this area of the capital and become ‘the place to be’ for those wanting to dine, socialise or sail off into the sunset,” Savill concludes. www.marinaworld.com – July/August 2021 21

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