Deliberately found at the center of the prosperous Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Qatar’s maritime shipping and delivery business has gone through great transformational modifications and it has started to take off. Back in 2010, the government published a bold six-stage strategy to make a totally new and contemporary port on the coast nearby the capital of Doha.
Having a combined population of well over 47 million and also annual financial output topping $1.6 trillion (£1 trillion), the 6 GCC countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, comprise a robust block of open and integrated economies at a critical crossroads of the global economy, in between Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. In relation to world wide trade, especially maritime shipping, the Middle East delivers beneficial prospects for companies that can take advantage of the region’s emergence as a intercontinental logistics centre. Back in 2014, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait positioned highest from 45 emerging markets nations in the key class of “market compatibility,” outlined by an ease of doing business.
As the region has emerged as an ever more fundamental part of multinational transportation and commerce, Doha has set itself apart from other logistical hubs including Dubai by investing seriously in efficient contemporary infrastructure. Qatar’s maritime ports are going through sizeable expansion. National project expenses are most likely to top $100 billion throughout infrastructure, real estate property and other energy and non-energy sectors during the up coming decade, according to analysis from the Investment Bank of Qatar.
The revolutionary port project alone is the reason for $7.5 billion of this spending. Initially targeted for completion in 2030, planners have sped up the timeline and offered the resources to reduce 10 years from the construction timeline, finishing all six stages of the task over the following five years.
“By 2016 a state-of-the-art world-class port will be accomplished,” claimed Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani. “Qatar offers what other GCC nations can't present given that they lack the resources to do so. The new port will supply clients with readily accessible gas and electricity, easy to customize warehouses and distribution centers, multi-purpose warehouses, third party logistics (3PL), a modern day and high-tech data center, a great container yard, and a transport service store. At the same time, they'll also have refrigeration services, chilled services plus dry locations for all those merchandise that need to steer clear of moisture.”
With the preliminary stage completed in 2016, the modern Port will comprise 3 terminals with an eventual combined yearly capacity in excess of six million storage containers. The project won't just focus on the anticipated growth in container traffic, but also cater to standard freight traffic, motor vehicle imports, livestock imports, bulk grain imports, international support vessels, coast guard ships, and a marine support unit. Follow-up projects include high-value and cutting-edge production amenities for the manufacture and repair off offshore and land-based petrochemical constructions, and for the construction, maintenance and repair of high-value smaller, medium and large ships. The port plan envisages a hub for restoration, conversion and development of all sorts of crafts, including tugs and workboats, military ships and high-value smaller vessels for instance yachts, up to the largest vessels across the globe.
All of this comes in addition to the state-of-the-art shipyard which has already been constructed by Nakilat - Qatar’s state owned shipping and delivery firm which operates and manages vessels along with provides shipping and marine-related services. The Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in the Port of Ras Laffan was commenced in 2010, marking a milestone not only for Nakilat, but for the entire maritime field in the country.
“It is a $2.8 billion state-of-the-art center for ship building and maintenance, and the intercontinental community has given it a substantial assessment regarding innovation and quality,” said Abdullah Al Sulaiti. “Now we have the capability in Qatar to develop an array of boats, either industrial or commercial, and when I say ‘commercial’ I mean high-end luxurious yachts. In fact, we are currently creating two 72 meter luxury yachts; the first will be sent at the end of next year. It's a major moment for Qatar’s young ship building industry and to view such capability available in the country in this short time period makes me highly proud of what is being accomplished.”
With the world-class shipyard already operational at the Port of Ras Laffan combined with planned developments in Doha, Al Thani says that when all assignments are concluded, other regional shipping and logistics players won’t be capable of cope with Qatar.
“Dubai, for example, will be unable to contend with this degree of service in providing such a facility. Qatar is climbing up that marine shipping direction. We'll carry on being a very good player and in the future we will go beyond them.”
Intending to bring in yet more international investment, the authorities has prepared a distinctive economic sector beside the new port in Doha. The Qatar Economic Zone 3 (QEZ3), is a self-contained development containing industrial and residential amenities and providing a vital link in the country’s strategic fiscal objectives. The QEZ3 will also function as a transportation and trade portal in to Qatar and provide financial hub around the Port for manufacturing, logistics and trade around a number of industrial sectors, establishing import as well as export synergy.
What’s more, the Doha port task dovetails with Qatar’s breakthrough as the world’s major producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In just Twenty years, Qatar has developed itself into the world’s foremost supplier of LNG, delivering around a third of all worldwide commerce.