Saudi Arabia's Sheybarah island takes delivery of first batch of luxury pods

Sustainable resort island will be powered by a solar farm, with fresh water supplied by a solar-powered desalination plant

The first batch of Shebara island villas

The first floating room pods that will form part of a sustainable development project on the Red Sea arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday from the UAE.

Red Sea Global said the first batch of Sheybarah island villas were delivered to the island by marine tanker.

John Pagano, chief executive of Red Sea Global, revealed the first-of-its-kind project last year.

The villas were manufactured by Grankraft factory and built off-site at Grankraft’s facility in Sharjah Free Zone.

The new luxury hotel is a 73-villa resort on the uninhabited Sheybarah island, which is 45 minutes by boat from the mainland.

Each overwater stainless steel orb (villa) will be suspended above the water’s surface, minimising the effects of the ground foundation. Each villa will have sliding doors that open to a deck, a seating space, and an infinity pool with views of the kingdom's untouched waters.

The Red Sea Development Company rebranded itself as Red Sea Global last year, and is responsible for developing the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastline.

The sustainable villas on the Red Sea archipelago were designed by Killa Design, the group behind the Museum of the Future in Dubai. The resort aims to be highly sustainable, powered by a centralised solar farm and supplied with fresh water from a solar-powered desalination plant.

Recycling of waste material will take place on the island, minimising the need to carry or remove materials from the island.

The island has a diverse environment with dense mangroves, desert flora, coral flats and one of the most beautiful untouched coral reefs in the world with diverse marine and bird life.