Qatar’s Transport & Communications Ministry is inviting tenders by 19 December for a contract to design and build a new transport ferry terminal at Doha Port.

The tender period is expected to take roughly three months from the closing date, which means the contractor with the lowest commercial bidder is likely to be known before the end of the first quarter of 2017.

The terminal is expected to dock cruise ships, a local media report said.

The project is in line with the government’s plan to convert the existing Doha Port into a cruise terminal once the port operations are shifted to the new Hamad Port, which is expected to open before end 2016.

In October, it was reported that an estimated $549m has been allocated for the redevelopment of the existing port and that it will close to navigation in March 2017.

Apart from converting the old port, plans for the expansion of the new Hamad Port, which was formerly called the New Port Project (NPP), are already underway.

MEED recently reported that contractors are preparing to submit bids in December for a deal to deepen the access channel serving Hamad Port in Qatar.

The access channel for Hamad Port is 16 metres deep and the port authorities want it deepened to 18 metres so that it is the same depth as the port basin.

The prospective bidders include:

• China Harbour Engineering Company (China)
• Jan de Nul (Belgium)
• Middle East Dredging Company (Medco ­– local / Belgium)
• Royal Boskalis Westminster (Netherlands)
• Van Oord (Netherlands)

The consultant is US-based Aecom.

Hamad Port has also recently signed an agreement with US-based Thermo King for the supply and installation of 150 diesel generator set units to support reefer containers at the port.