Historic Route to Doha Port

Sailors from Sindh (known today as Pakistan), East Africa, South and Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago were regular visitors to the area known today as Doha – which means 'The Big Tree.' Ports have always played a major role in Qatar's growth and development.

In 1900 Doha had a population of around 12,000 and its shallow waters provided an ideal haven for around 350 pearling boats plus hundreds of locally-produced dhows – traditional wooden-built sailing ships that still make commercial voyages between Qatar and destinations throughout the Gulf region and East Africa. Qatar's original port gateway was located in Doha Bay, near to where the impressive Museum of Islamic Art stands today and where dozens of dhows are still built, moored and used for fishing and other business.

But the growth of trade in cultured pearls from Japan began to impact upon the region's pearl industry, and this was exacerbated by the depression of the 1930s. The old port was too shallow for larger ships to enter. Today's deep-water port located further along the Corniche was selected due to its deep-water access. It was opened in 1971 with just four berths after a 27ft deep x 275ft wide and eight miles long fairway channel had been dredged. The port was further expanded and the number of quays increased to nine with a total length of 1,700m with two container berths of 600m and 207m for Qatar Flour Mills (QFM). A series of large warehouses were built along with 10 hectares of storage yards.

The port itself has also grown and by 1983 a 500 ton capacity cold store had been opened and the port authority took charge of the 750m dhow marina which promotes trade with neighbouring GCC countries. Doha Port has expanded, upgrading container handling  infrastructure to keep pace with the rapid development Qatar has experienced over the last three decades. More than 400 personnel are employed at the port working for Mwani Qatar. Stevedoring services are provided by Qatar Navigation using the latest state-of-the-art equipment to handle all kinds of vessels from general cargo to specialized carriers.

But growth potential at Doha Port, driven by the country's economic boom, is restricted due to congestion, a shortage of storage space, draft and channel restrictions, lack of quayside container crane facilities and no land available for expansion due to ongoing urbanization. Nevertheless, Doha Port handled in excess of 346,000 TEUs in 2010 and experienced a cargo throughput of four million tons. As a result, the State of Qatar is embarking on a massive project to create a brand new Doha Port – located 25km south of Doha near the Mesaieed Industrial City – costing around US$6 billion for the first phase. Capacity of phase one is expected to be two million TEUs – nearly two million TEUs for each remaining phase.

 Although TEU capacity will eventually amount to six million, additional space is available if further container volume is needed. The existing port will be decommissioned as the new Doha Port is inaugurated, with operations transferring over a six month-long handover period. Part of the old port area is already earmarked as the site for the 45,000- seat covered Doha Port Stadium, one of a series of new eco-friendly, cutting-edge football stadiums, which will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.