Image: Work on module 43 of The Line has peaked at more than 60 piles a day

Neom is preparing to shift the focus of the world’s largest piling project to The Line modules at the marina as excavation work for the waterway reaches an advanced stage. 

The structures that make up The Line comprise 135 modules that are 800 metres in length and 500 metres tall at sea level. In total, The Line is 170 kilometres long and extends from the Red Sea coast inland towards Tabuk. 

Modules 45, 46 and 47 are at the marina, which is expected to be two times bigger than any other marina in the world and capable of hosting the largest cruise ships.

Module 45: Each module will contain eight buildings on large-diameter bored piles

The marina is located on the other side of The Line to the sea, so ships must pass through The Line buildings.

This is a major engineering challenge as it means creating a 165-metre-wide waterway passing through the 500-metre-tall buildings.

The largest cruise ship is the Wonder of the Seas, which is 67 metres wide and 72 metres tall, and requires a draught of nearly 10 metres. 

The Line will be able to host Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship, which made its debut in March 2022. Credit: Neom via Twitter

The water channel entering the marina will also have to pass over The Spine, a subterranean infrastructure corridor running the length of The Line, which includes the high-speed railway lines. There are railway stations at every third module along The Line.

Module 46: As piling work moves to modules 46 and 47, the level of activity will increase even further

The marina is also proposed to include a 45,000-seat sports stadium built 300 metres above ground in between The Line buildings. 

The marina is the largest excavation project in the world, with about 1 million cubic metres of earth being moved every week. 

Once the excavation work and dewatering for the marina reach an appropriate stage, piling works will start.

So far, the piling work for The Line has been concentrated on module 43, where more than 4,500 piles have been installed. Work has reached a peak of more than 60 piles a day, making it the largest piling project in the world.

As piling work shifts to modules 46 and 47, the activity level is expected to increase even further. 

Module 47: Excavation of about 1 million cubic metres of earth is taking place each week at the marina

Nine contractors are working on the piling as part of a framework agreement. Six of these are onsite. They are the local Al-Osais, Germany’s Bauer, the UK’s Keller, UAE-based NSCC, Beijing-based PowerChina and Italy’s Trevi. 

The other three firms that are part of the framework agreement are France’s Bachy Soletanche, the local Huta and Saudi Baytur. 

Three firms are working with Neom as delivery partners for The Line. They are UK-based Atkins and two US firms, Jacobs and Parsons.  

The Line is designed to ultimately house 9 million residents who will have access to the development’s facilities within a five-minute walk. A high-speed rail system will have an end-to-end journey time of 20 minutes.

The city, including the planned 45,000-seat, suspended stadium, will be built within the 500-metre-high walls. Credit: Neom via Twitter 

 
Sindalah island, spanning 840,000 square metres, is the first of a group of islands to be developed at Neom. In March, Neom signed a deal with Marriott International to open three properties on the luxury island. Plans for Sindalah include building over 400 premium hotel rooms and 300 suites, as well as an 86-berth marina for yachts up to 75 metres and serviced offshore buoys for superyachts up to 180 metres.

MEED's April 2023 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> ECONOMY: Riyadh steps up the Vision 2030 tempo
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction project ramp-up accelerates
> UPSTREAM: Aramco slated to escalate upstream spending
> DOWNSTREAM: Petchems ambitions define Saudi downstream
> POWER: Saudi Arabia reinvigorates power sector
> WATER: Saudi water begins next growth phase
> BANKING: Saudi banks bid to keep ahead of the pack