January 01, 2008	Tuesday	Zilhaj 21, 1428

DUBAI, Dec 31: Dubai has begun construction on the largest canal project in the Middle East for more than a century, joining a list of mega-projects in the Gulf emirate, the official WAM news agency reported on Monday.

Government-owned real estate developer Limitless this week started excavation work on the $11 billion canal, 75-km-long canal, WAM said.

The “Arabian Canal” will be the biggest project undertaken in the region since work started on the 163-km Suez Canal in 1859.

The canal will be “the largest, most complex civil engineering project ever undertaken in the Middle East,” the developers said on their website, adding that construction of the 150-metre-wide canal will take three years.

At six metres deep, it will be able to accommodate vessels up to 40 metres long.

The canal will link two huge artificial palm-shaped islands, currently under construction. The waterway will also pass by the new Al-Maktoum International Airport, which aims to become the world’s largest upon completion.—AFP