The original works consisted of the dredging and filling of 27.75 million m3 of sand, together with rock armouring, to provide platforms for future developments. The works were later varied to cater for the addition of 856,000 m3 of rock core.
The majority of the sand fill was obtained from designated offshore borrow areas using large trailer suction hopper dredgers, whilst cutter suction dredgers were used simultaneously to form channels closer to land.
Environmental management was a key challenge. Great care had to be taken due to the sensitive nature of the aquatic life surrounding Bahrain.
A further complication came from the presence of underwater cables (for International telecommunications) in the shallow waters surrounding the working sites requiring careful maneuvering of large TSH dredgers.