Project execution commenced in October 2003. Fifteen trailing suction hopper dredgers have reclaimed a total of 320m m3 of sand from the sea to form the islands. For comparison purposes, that is the equivalent of a 2m wide, 4m high wall stretching around the world. In addition, 34m tons of stone have been used to construct the longest breakwater in the world, a 27 km long structure protecting the islands from the sea. That is four times the amount of stone used to build the Netherland's famous Oosterscheldt storm surge barrier.

Van Oord will continue to be closely involved in the remainder of this project for a number of years, undertaking work which will include compacting the subsoil and building quay walls.

Van Oord is working on several marine construction projects in Dubai. Following the first palm island, the much discussed Palm Jumeirah, The World was the next extraordinary land reclamation project that Van Oord completed in Dubai. Palm Deira, a colossal islands project ten times the size of Palm Jumeirah, is still under construction and will be completed in 2014 to 2015.

Van Oord is currently expanding its dredging fleet on a massive scale. The challenges associated with climate change, the global increase in goods transport, and the growing demand for oil and gas are giving the company opportunities to boost its global position in dredging and marine construction.