Qatar Navigation is delaying inviting bids for the QR1bn ($275m) Qatar Logistics City until January 2011 due to changes in the project.

Part of the project design has now been changed and the Urban Planning & Development Authority has also made changes in a highway that will eventually surround the Logistics City, says Ahmed al-Kowsi, project manager at Qatar Navigation.

Qatar Navigation was initially expected to invite firms to submit bids for the construction of the first phase of the project in early August (MEED 17:6:10).

The first phase of the project was expected to be operational by the summer of 2012, but this is now likely to be pushed back.

Qatar Logistics City involves the construction of a 500,000 square-metre city that will be located in Al-Thamamma, which is eight kilometres from New Doha port.

The project comprises workshops, fuelling stations, accommodation for up to 5,000 employees, a mosque, a clinic, seven warehouses and an open yard. The warehouses will be used to store food items, consumer products, vehicles and machinery, construction materials and oil and gas.

The logistics city will support New Doha port as it will offer storage for goods that come into the port. The total demand for storage in Qatar in 2009 was six million square metres. This is expected to increase to 10 million sq m of storage capacity by 2015 as trade and the volume of events increases.