The steering committee behind the New Doha Port has said it will support Qatar’s construction sector by ensuring infrastructure and buildings contracts on the New Doha Port be awarded to local contractors.

Speaking at MEED’s Qatar Transport conference in Doha on 30 May, Nabeel Mohammed al-Buenain, project executive director, New Doha Port, said that the New Port Project Steering Committee was stipulating that infrastructure or building packages will be awarded to local contractors, or a joint venture in which the local company has at least 51 per cent ownership.

Upcoming infrastructure contracts will involve providing electrical systems, portable water and sewerage systems and roads for the port and the navy. Other contracts will involve building 84 port buildings and 278 navy buildings.

Al-Buenain said that for excavation and dredging packages, international contractors were able to  bid on their own to ensure that firms with suitable capacity and experience could carry out the works.

The total estimated budget for the New Doha Port Project is QR25.6bn ($7bn).

The steering committee recently invited contractors to prequalify for a marine works package on the port scheme. The contract involves the construction and installation of quay walls, basin revetments, breakwaters and floating pontoons. It also includes dredging and reclamation works.

The port project is one of the largest infrastructure schemes in Qatar. In March, the local/Belgian Dredging International and Middle East Dredging Company (Medco) was awarded the estimated QR4.5bn phase 2 construction contract for the New Doha Port project in Qatar.