Destined to be the city’s second cruise port, the Dubai Harbour project has reached a major milestone with the completion of its first phase, the construction of one of the largest superyacht marinas in the region.

The completion of the marina was marked this week with the arrival of the first two yachts to dock in the marina – a three-deck Majesty 120 superyacht, and a next-generation Oryx 379 – both of which were built locally in the UAE by Gulfcraft.

A Majesty 120 and Oryx 379 docked in the new marina

RELATED: Meraas appoints ASGC to build Dubai’s new Palm Jumeirah cruise terminal

RELATED: Dubai to become ‘Monaco of the Middle East’ with Dubai Harbour project

Dubai Harbour Marina is located between Bluewaters Island and Palm Jumeirah. It will offer 1,100 berths which will open over two phases for yachts up to 160-metres in length.

Operated by luxury marina group D-Marin Dubai, the Marina will be a yachting hub with restaurants, a crew club, independent fuel pumps, crew facility, a helipad and more.

The Dubai Harbour Marina will form part of a new mixed-use development the size of Monaco

The development will also become a major mixed-use retail, commercial and lifestyle destination.

A huge cruise terminal will be built adjacent to it, along with a mall, high-rise apartments, hotels and parks, restaurants, cafes and high street-style stores.

“We are excited to welcome the first yachts into Dubai Harbour Marina. The marina will strengthen Dubai’s status as a modern maritime hub for yacht owners and captains to maritime businesses in need of a strategic logistics location,” said Selcuk Balci, managing director at D-Marin Dubai and Dubai Harbour’s marina operator.

Dubai Harbour will include one of the tallest lighthouses in the world, modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria

RELATED: 8 new Dubai tourist attractions opening before the 2020 cruise season

RELATED: Plans announced to totally redevelop Mina Rashid, Dubai’s cruise port

“With the marina’s extensive facilities and world-class services, we are looking forward to operating the largest leisure maritime destination in the Middle East,” he added.

Dubai Harbour’s integrated infrastructure is built over an area of 20 million square feet and will be opened in several phases between now and mid-2020.

Dubai Harbour with cruise terminal adjacent Palm Jumeirah Island

It will be roughly the size of the Principality of Monaco, and officials have previously said it will make Dubai the Monaco of the Middle East.

The centrepiece of the new development will be a huge new cruise terminal, with a daily passenger capacity of up to 6,000 passengers.

The cruise terminal will be able to accommodate two to three cruise ships at a time, but Dubai’s Mina Rashid will remain the primary cruise port of the city.

It’s expected that all Carnival Corporation-owned cruise ships calling in Dubai and homeporting in the Arabian Gulf for their annual winter cruise seasons will use the new Dubai Harbour as their primary cruise terminal.