Nakheel, part of Dubai Holding Real Estate, has started upgrading nearly three kilometres of the western shoreline on Dubai Islands, a project that includes building a new 320-metre beach near the Bay Villas community. The marine and beach works, awarded to contractor Mar Marine & Building Contracting, are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2027.
The scope covers constructing new breakwaters, removing existing rock revetments, reshaping the beach profile and refurbishing sections of the current coastline. Nakheel says the aim is to deliver a higher-quality waterfront for residents and visitors once the island is fully developed.
Dubai Islands, a chain of five man-made islands stretching 18.6 kilometres, is being designed to eventually house more than 230,000 residents across roughly 62,000 homes, alongside over 11,000 hotel keys and more than 4,000 branded residences.
The beach upgrade follows a string of recent contract awards on the islands. Fibrex Contracting secured a Dh2.6 billion deal in August 2025 to build the 636 villas and townhouses that make up the Bay Villas community, while Al Nasr Contracting was awarded a Dh527 million contract in April this year to install primary infrastructure and utilities on Island B.
Together, the projects point to Dubai Islands becoming one of the emirate's major new residential and tourism hubs over the coming years, as developers race to complete beachfront, hospitality and housing components ahead of the 2027 target.