London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Saudi Arabia to build eight-sided city that floats on water

Saudi Arabia to build eight-sided city that floats on water

Crown prince announces 'Oxagon', a utopian project which claims to be the 'world's largest floating structure'

Saudi Arabia has launched its latest in a long list of grandiose projects: an octagonal industrial city floating on the Red Sea.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, on Tuesday announced the launch of "Oxagon", touted to be the "world's largest floating structure".

It will be built in the southwestern area of Neom, the futuristic new megacity which Saudi authorities claim will be 33 times the size of New York City. Half of Oxagon will float on the Red Sea, which on average is 500 metres deep.

"Oxagon will be the catalyst for economic growth and diversity in Neom and the kingdom, further meeting our ambitions under Vision 2030," the crown prince said in a statement, referencing the country's diversification strategy to move away from oil reliance.

"[It] will contribute to redefining the world's approach to industrial development in the future, protecting the environment while creating jobs and growth."

According to a press release, the city will be powered solely by renewable energy and will utilise the Internet of Things, artificial and predictive intelligence and robotics to create “a seamless integrated, intelligent and efficient supply chain”.

Rhetoric-filled promotional video


The project was launched with a two-minute promotional video filled with platitudes and vague ideas.

"Imagine a place that provides everything your business needs to break boundaries," the video begins. "A curated landscape of advanced industry that closes the loop and drives circularity."


The marketing clip posits that Oxagon "will bring the brightest minds together to solve the world's greatest challenges" and would boast "unrivalled livability".

Why the brightest minds would need to live in an eight-sided city, half of which would be floating on water, in order to solve the earth's greatest challenges, was made less clear.

Not settling for just being the world's largest floating structure, the clip also stressed that the utopian city would be "home to the world's first fully automated port and integrated logistics hub".

No details have yet been released about the cost of the project or how it would be built in order to float on water. According to Neom's website, the city expects its first residents in 2024 and aims to complete all onshore developments by 2030.

'Pie in the sky' project


The project has been met by ridicule and raised eyebrows among commentators and social media users.

"Congratulations to whichever consulting firm got paid a large sum of money to come up with this pie-in-the-sky idea," wrote journalist Gregg Carlstrom.


"Why am I working in a university when I could be spending my days designing fantasy cities for the Saudi crown prince," said Middle East academic Christian Henderson.

This is by no means the first time Saudi Arabia has launched an ambitious project filled with superlatives and world-firsts.

This week, MBS launched "the world’s first non-profit city", which he named after himself. Earlier this year, he also announced a plan to construct a zero-carbon city built in a 170km straight line, as the first major construction for Neom.

Documents previously revealed that the megacity would feature flying taxis, fighting robots and animatronic dinosaurs.

Activist raises doubts


While the crown prince has consistently unveiled increasingly elaborate and futuristic projects, it remains to be seen whether any of these grand ambitions will ever come to fruition.

In May, a report by the Wall Street Journal claimed that there had been an exodus of Neom's staff, struggling under the sheer scale of the ideas.

Urban planners offered the crown prince a simpler plan for a zero-carbon city, but the de-facto leader reportedly retorted: “I want to build my pyramids.”

"Oxagon, just like all the projects before, like The Line, will never happen. Bin Salman fails at one project, and then he starts another to cover his crimes and failures," London-based Saudi activist Alya al-Huwaiti told Middle East Eye.

Huwaiti is a dissident member of the Howeitat tribe, who have lived in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk province for centuries but are now being expelled from their homes to make way for the megacity.

Last year, tribal activist Abdulrahim al-Howeiti was shot dead shortly after making videos protesting against his eviction.

"How can Mohammed bin Salman pretend that he cares about zero carbon when he doesn't care about his own people? How can they kill Abdulrahim and say they care about the environment?" Huwaiti said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×