DUBAI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A local firm has launched an official website on United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Iceberg Project to highlight the upcoming stages and benefits in environment and economy, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Sunday.
The National Advisor Bureau Limited put forward the project of towing icebergs from Antarctica to the UAE coasts during the first quarter of 2020 "to leverage them as new sources of water in the region," said WAM, estimating the cost of the project at 50-60 million U.S. dollars.
The pilot phase of the project will kick off during the second half of 2019 towards the coast of Perth in Australia, or the coast of Cape Town in South Africa.
The company is currently developing a unique technology which would reduce project costs, ensure zero ice melting during the transportation phase, and facilitate water-transfer processes to customers at minimal costs.
The project which shall support the UAE's quest for clean drinking water was first mentioned in the UAE media back in May 2017.
WAM reported the project would also place the UAE on the "glacial tourism map" as the first desert country to offer glacial tourism on its coasts, saving iceberg enthusiasts the trouble of travelling to the North and South Poles.