MEED reported that contract for excavation work is expected to attract firms from around the world. As per report Qatar is inviting contractors to pre-qualify for the first major construction package on its multi billion dollar New Doha Port project.
The inland port is to be built in Mesaieed to the south of Doha and will support industrial development in the area. It will be one of the largest marine projects to be awarded this year and is expected to attract global interest. The client is the New Doha Port Steering Committee, an arm of the Finance Ministry.
The winner will excavate 58 million cubic meters of material covering an area of 3.2 square kilometers to a depth of 18 meters. New Doha Port will use the excavated material to build 8 kilometers of quay wall and a 5 kilometers long rubble breakwater.
Contractors said that the value of the contract will exceed that of Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port marine works contract, which was worth about USD 1.5 billion when it was awarded in October 2007.
One European contractor working in the Gulf said that "This is one of the largest marine contracts in the world. To give you an idea of the scale, Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi has a 3.2 kilometers quay wall and 40 million cubic meters of dredging. With little work available in other markets, I expect there will be substantial interest from all over the world."
The authorities want to finish the phase-1 of the project in 2014. It will involve the construction of the first container terminal at the port, which will have a capacity of 2 million 20 foot equivalent units, a 15 meter deep approach channel to the port, an 8 meter to 13.5 meter deep harbor basin and berths for general cargo, the Qatari and visiting navies and Emiri yachts.
The authorities want to finish the second phase, which involves a second container terminal capable of handling 2 million foot equivalent units a year and an extension to the harbor basin in 2020.
An optional third phase could add a third container terminal at the port, taking total capacity to 6 million foot equivalent units a year.
(Sourced from MEED)
