Silver Sands Resort in the Maldives undertook a significant expansion to accommodate new resort facilities by reclaiming and filling an adjoining island. Like all coastal developments in the Maldives, this project demanded a solution that was both practical and cost-effective for coastal bunding, with a strong emphasis on minimizing environmental impact and facilitating effective management and mitigation measures.
The contractor’s objective was to reclaim land from the sea to support additional infrastructure. The scope included land reclamation and related construction on a neighboring island. Previously, traditional bunding methods such as rocks and geotubes were used, but these had proven suboptimal due to inefficiency, high costs, slow installation and challenging on-site handling. Seeking a more efficient and sustainable approach to enclosing the reclamation footprint, the contractor consulted Ecocoast for an improved solution.
Ecocoast recommended the use of Ecobag Coastal Protection Boxes – a geotextile-based, temporary bunding system designed for rapid deployment and robust performance.
A primary challenge was ensuring the correct filling and placement of the geotextile boxes. To address this, Ecocoast’s engineering team provided technical support, including a custom frame design to facilitate efficient installation. Although Ecocoast was not directly responsible for installation, their technical expertise ensured the boxes were positioned and utilized correctly, overcoming potential setup issues.
The Ecobag Coastal Protection Boxes performed reliably throughout the project. Comprehensive monitoring before, during and after reclamation reported no failures. The contractor expressed high satisfaction with the efficiency and effectiveness of the approach.