New Port Project (NPP), Al Wakrah and Mesaieed, Qatar
Key Data
- Location: Between Al Wakrah and Mesaieed, Doha
- Construction Started: October 2011
- Start of OperationsPhase one: early 2016
- Investment: QAR 27bn ($7.4bn)
- Project Manager: AECOM
- Cargo Handling Capacity: Six million TEU
- Initial Capacity (Phase One): Two million TEU
The New Port
Developed in multiple phases, the New Port will comprise three container terminals with an eventual combined annual capacity in excess of six million containers. The 19 billion Qatari Riyal project will not only cater to the expected growth in container traffic, but also accommodate:
- general cargo traffic,
- vehicle imports,
- livestock imports,
- bulk grain imports,
- offshore support vessels,
- coast guard vessels, and
- a marine support unit.
Naval Base
The New Port will also be a centre for Qatar's Maritime security. A new base for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces will be built offshore of the New Port, providing berthing for Qatar's Navy and visiting naval vessels from around the world. The Base will offer technical support, comprehensive logistic facilities, material support accommodation and recreational services.
Qatar Economic Zone 3 Canal
The Qatar Economic Zone 3 (QEZ3), a self-contained development with industrial and residential facilities, will also be located adjacent to the New Port. As an essential element of Qatar's development goals and objectives, the QEZ3 will be an important gateway into Qatar, providing an economic hub around the Port for manufacturing, logistics and trade across a number of industrial sectors and in turn fostering import and export synergy.
A graphic timeline (animation) of works for Qatar’s massive New Port Project, which aims to introduce a new purpose-built commercial port to the region by early 2016.
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Existing port which would be replaced
Future port
Qatar is currently constructing a new container port located between the municipalities of Al Wakrah and Mesaieed. The new port is set to replace the existing Doha Port when the first phase starts operating in early 2016, with an initial cargo handling capacity of two million TEU.
The initial idea to construct the port was announced in June 2007. The environmental permit for the construction of the port has been realised and the construction works began in October 2011. The first concrete for the port's quay wall was laid in July 2012.
"The new port is set to replace the existing Doha Port when the first phase starts operating in early 2016."
It is considered to be the largest port development project in the world to be built on unused land. It is expected that it will require an investment of QAR 27bn ($7.4bn).
The New Port Project (NPP) will also comprise of constructing a new naval base for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces and the Qatar Economic Zone 3 (QEZ3) Canal.
The whole project site covers an area of about 26.5 square kilometres. The naval base alone will cover an area of 4.5 square kilometres. The port will have a capacity of six million TEU per annum and will be capable of handling the largest container vessels in the world.
Benefits of the New Port Project (NPP)
The New Port Project (NPP) forms part of the Qatar National Vision 2030 which aims at converting Qatar into a developed country by 2030.
The port will ease the import of goods, which will enable other development projects in Qatar to be realised, as the country prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
The port will be capable of handling general cargo, bulk grain, livestock and vehicle traffic. It will also feature state-of-the-art facilities to handle the largest cargo vessels, cruise vessels, coastguard vessels and a marine support unit.
The port will feature three container terminals, each with a handling capacity of two million TEUs per annum. It will be linked to the proposed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rail network, linking the port to the six GCC countries including Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Constructing Qatar's new shipping hub
The access channel covering an area of 20 square kilometres is currently being dredged. Two outer breakwaters and and two inner breakwaters will also be constructed. The materials recovered from the dredging of the 15m deep access channel will further be used for the construction of the 4.5 square kilometres naval base which will be located offshore.
"The New Port Project (NPP) forms part of the Qatar National Vision 2030."
The QZE3 Canal will cover an area of two square kilometres. It will act as a major economic hub and boost the export and imports of goods at the airport.
The dredging works are being carried out using two self-propelled rock cutter suction dredgers. The dredging materials will be transferred using about 500 dump trucks for the relocation of the naval base.
The 8.5km quay wall is expected to utilise more than 35,000 concrete blocks weighing in the range of 40t to 90t.
The construction work will witness the excavation and rockblasting of about 70 million cubic metres of material.
Other associated works will include construction of roads, water supply and building infrastructure.
Contractors involved with the new container port
The programme management services for the project are being provided by AECOM. The contract valued $149m was awarded in November 2008. A further $58.8m contract was awarded to the company two years later to undertake additional works.
"The port will ease the import of goods, which will enable other development projects in Qatar to be realised."
A $35m contract for the design and master plan of the port was awarded to WorleyParsons, which in turn subcontracted Royal Haskoning to assist in the port design.
The dredging work for the access channel is being carried out by Middle East Dredging Company (MEDCO). The $1.23bn contract, which is being financed by Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), will also involve the execution of the dredging works for the basin, reclamation for the naval base and construction of the two outer breakwaters.
The construction of the port basin, the quay walls and the inner breakwaters is being undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Telleborg has been contracted to supply 829 fender systems, 606 bollards and ladders for the project.
The mitigation works, including the relocation of approximately 10,000 hard coral locations within the project site, have been assigned to CSA International.
The New Port Project: Qatar's marine megaproject
9 January 2013
Chris Lo
Qatar's $7.4bn New Port Project is a greenfield development on the largest scale, transforming an empty stretch of sand into a cutting-edge commercial port. Chris Lo delves into the project's economic background, and charts its progress through 2013 and beyond.
During the last three decades, the six nations comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have fostered an environment of economic growth that has few parallels anywhere in the world. Primarily driven by massive oil and gas reserves, the governments of states such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have invested billions to develop local economic hubs and the infrastructure necessary to support local industry.
"2013 will see the start of dredging work for the port's access channel and basin."
While petroleum revenues and the willingness of governments to commit to enormous public spending programmes lies at the heart of the region's economic vitality, the availability of huge tracts of greenfield land provides an abundance of suitable sites to build the next generation of industrial hotspots, whether it's Saudi Arabia's purpose-built industrial cities, or Qatar's New Port Project (NPP), one of the world's largest greenfield port developments.
Situated on a 26.5km² coastal site just south of Qatari capital Doha, this behemoth $7.4bn megaproject is a response to the need for greater port capacity, as Doha's existing deepwater port rapidly approaches its maximum throughput capacity. Qatar, like the rest of the GCC countries, has invited the world to do business, and now needs to quickly ramp up the scale of its port operations.
Building Qatar's mega-port
Instead of attempting to upgrade the existing commercial port at Doha, which would be difficult because of its central urban location, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani issued Emiri Decree No. 37 in summer 2007, authorising the development of an entirely new port, capable of handling six million TEU of container traffic a year and accommodating the world's largest next-generation container ships.
"The existing port, located in the heart of the city, is currently a major bottleneck to the development of Qatar," said Tim Verdon, programme manager for Aecom, which is managing the project as part of a major contract from Qatar's New Port Project Steering Committee. "The new port will quadruple importation volumes, allowing Qatar to meet its obligations to deliver the stadiums, hotels and infrastructure required for the World Cup in 2022."
"Transforming an empty stretch of sand into a world-class commercial port is no simple task."
Construction of the port is now well underway, and, as the video above shows, transforming an empty stretch of sand into a world-class commercial port is no simple task. Upon first-phase completion in 2016, the port will incorporate three dedicated container terminals, as well as a multi-use terminal with an annual capacity for 750,000 livestock, half a million vehicles and a million tonnes of bulk grain.
The site will also host a brand new 4.5km² base for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces and will have a connecting canal to Qatar Economic Zone 3 (QEZ3), an industrial and residential hub that will act as a gateway to the rest of Qatar and encourage an efficient interface between manufacturing and import / export through the port.
Work on the project in 2012 was dominated by the construction of the port's 8.5km quay wall, the first block of which was laid in July, with a further 35,000 following through 2012 and beyond. This year, 2013, will see the start of dredging work for the port's access channel and basin, as well as land reclamation for the naval base, all of which was contracted to Middle East Dredging Company (MEDCO) in March 2012.
It's another huge task, as Tony G Locke, managing director of Weir Minerals Europe, which was sub-contracted by MEDCO in December 2012 to supply pumps for the dredging, explained. "This is a project on an enormous scale," he said last month.
"The amount of solid rock that will be dredged would be enough to fill the Great Pyramid at Giza 18 times over or the Royal Albert Hall 500 times over."
Evidently, a vast programme of work remains to be undertaken on the NPP before this new greenfield port becomes operational in early 2016. But once completed, the port promises to become a lynchpin in the Qatar National Vision 2030, creating a vital shipping hub in the Persian Gulf and, with a planned rail link connecting the port to Qatar and neighbouring GCC countries, another economic stimulator for the region as a whole.
For now I will just watch a movie and will update this thread later 
Road A5 underpass (Junction 10) in Fox Hills south district
Utility tunnel housing underground utilities
Marine earthworks and site preparation (Doha skyline in background)
Underground car park (marina district)
Sewage treatment plant (membrane biological reactor building)
