Are Dutch Docklands' Floating Islands a Sustainable Alternative to Dubai's Sinking World Islands?

The artificial "World' islands off the coast of Dubai seemed like a great idea before a massive economic bust struck the glitzy Emirate.

Now a host of investors are stuck with what many say are sinking landmasses that are terrible for the local marine environment. Never fear, say floating island specialists Dutch Docklands, who told the Emirate paper 24/7 in an exclusive interview that floating islands can be a viable alternative for those people who purchased water masses with their artificial island country.

This is not the first time that floating islands have been proposed as a solution to the struggling “World” islands project, in which hundreds of little islands collectively shaped like the world are being developed in the Arabian/Persian Gulf (depending on who you talk to). Earlier a Dubai-based firm submitted the Ome project.

Dutch Docklands also worked on The Floating Proverb – a curious collection of 89 floating islands that spell out an Arab proverb when viewed from above - for the Nakheel development company. Dutch Docklands CEO Paul van de Camp told the paper that the concept is still alive. When (not if) it takes off, the self-supportable floating islands will be constructed with existing landmasses, saving investors a considerable amount of money and trouble. For examples of what these floating islands might look like, check out these pics of Dutch Docklands’ Floating Golf Course in the Maldives!