The new port - to be located five kilometres east of New Doha International Airport (NDIA) - will be built in water depths of nine-15 metres and be connected to the mainland by a 8.5-kilometre-long trestle bridge. It will comprise a commercial port with capacity of about 1 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), as well as a naval component.

The main features of the proposed port will be five general cargo terminals and berths, four container terminal and berths, a roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) berth, a livestock berth, an administration and customs complex and a berthing area for tugs and pilot boats. The facilities, to be built on a 500-hectare area of reclaimed land, will have a free zone shared with the new airport. The masterplan for the new port was prepared by Bechtel.

The client is the Higher Committee for the Co-ordination & Pursuance Executive Committee, part of the Council of Ministers.

With a tender being issued for the new port, the existing Doha port is likely to be decommissioned. The government has been considering moving the container port for several years, as a result of physical site constraints, a projected surge in cargo traffic and proposals to redevelop the area. Previous plans have included redeveloping existing ports, such as the small one at Al-Rowais in the north. Qatar's other port infrastructure, at Ras Laffan in the north and Mesaieed in the south, serves the needs of local gas, petrochemicals and steel industries.

Separate plans are also being pursued for expansion of Ras Laffan port. Bids are also due to be submitted by 11 September for a contract to carry out front-end engineering and design (FEED) work on the existing berths and infrastructure.