In a display of creativity and ingenuity Dubai Police have used surplus armored cars as an artificial reef to revive marine life near the World Islands in Jumeirah.
The project was started in 2012, and the credit for the unique and inspirational project goes to Major Obaid Mohammad Al Shamsi, Director of the Property Management Department at Dubai Police. The vehicles were cleaned up as per environmental regulations which included removal of tyres, paint, engines and grease. The location was chosen for its lack of marine life at the time and it took one day of heavy lifting through cranes and supervision of diving teams to sink the vehicles onto the ocean bed.
Dubai Police divers regularly checked on the progress of the project and noticed that the areas had started getting populated by fish within three months. The artificial reef now covers an area of one nautical mile. The UAE government has requested the regional United Nations office to conduct a study regarding the environmental impact of the project.
A second project spun off in 2013 from the success of the artificial reef in the form of a coral nursery next to Palm Deira on an area of 55 square metres and has also shown promising results.