Ministry launches private boat mooring fields project

TheMinistry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has announced that ithas started implementing a project to build mooring facilities forprivate boats at all harbours in the country. Work has begun acrossall the harbours simultaneously and the project is planned forcompletion within 18 months, the ministry has said in a press statement.TheMoTC has assigned the project to Qatar Ports Management Company (MwaniQatar), which will implement it in collaboration with private sectorcompanies.The goal is to provide some 1,000 moorings in accordancewith latest global standards and systems at harbours in Al Wakrah, AlKhor, Al Zakhira and Al Ruwais, through direct co-ordination with theMinistry of Municipality and Environment’s Fisheries Department, whichis concerned with harbour affairs.The project comes within the MoTC’s strategy related to planning for the marine transport sector and its development.“Theproject is a great, right solution providing moorings for privateboaters. It follows a considerable rise in the number of private boatsregistered lately by the ministry,” said Dr Saleh Fetais al-Marri,director of Maritime Transport Planning and Licensing and generalsupervisor of Maritime Transport Affairs at the MoTC. He stressedthat the project aims to regulate private boat mooring operations withinmodern anchoring spaces, constructed to global standards andspecifications to fulfil private boaters’ needs and expectations. Italso aims to keep boats safe from dangerous weather events such asstorms and high waves, provide smoother private boat movement andpreserving people’s belongings. Besides, it will support the privatesector in a way that helps boost Qatar’s economic development, he added.Dral-Marri said the project’s most important feature is the optimised useof the potential of Qatar’s harbours and establishments, aiming toreduce cost, observe environmental and sustainability standards andcodes, and apply the world’s best practices in terms of project designand execution.He said there are 436 mooring slips at the Al Wakrahharbour, 324 at Al Ruwais, 200 at Al Khor and 28 at Al Zakhira. Planningfor these mooring slips has taken into consideration all boat sizes,which means each mooring slip can accommodate more than one boat andpart of the project is to increase the number of moorings in the future,the statement notes.The MME’s Marine Fishing Harbors Section head,Hamad Murshid al-Muraikhi, said the project would contribute to servingmany private boat owners and reduce the burden on fishing harbours.Uponproject completion, the current fishing harbours will be cleared ofprivate boats, mooring fields reorganised and redistributed, and newservices will be provided, helping fulfil the fishermen’s desire thatfishing harbours should be exclusive to only ships and boats that have alicence from the MME’s Fisheries Department.Environmentstandards and codes have been observed for the project, aiming topreserve the environment and marine resources, al-Muraikhi said. He alsostressed that the allocation of mooring fields for private boaters willnot take place at the same harbours where fishermen’s ships and boatsoperate, but adjacent to them.Nabil Alkhaldi, engineering directorat Mwani Qatar, said the mooring fields project is a majorpublic-private partnership in Qatar. He noted that the private sectorplays a key role in its implementation based on the considerableattention the country pays to enhancing and bolstering the privatesector’s role and contribution to development projects countrywide.Theproject implementation plan has been endorsed by the bodies concernedand the plan is to complete and deliver the project in roughly a yearand a half, he added.The Al Zakhira harbour’s mooring fields are tobe completed and delivered in 10 months, Al Khor harbour’s in 14 monthsand Al Wakrah and Al Ruwais harbours’ in 18 months, the officialinformed.Project works include constructing mooring slips at alength of 22m for boats and 10m for cruisers, as well as groynes forwhich “we use sustainable, eco-friendly materials”, he noted.   Implementingan eco-friendly project has been the focus of attention of allstakeholders and parties involved in the project, involving the use ofeco-friendly materials and techniques that help preserve the environmentand living marine resources, Alkhaldi added.A Quick Look* 1,000 moorings to be provided across 4 harbours – Wakrah, Al Khor, Al Zakhira and Al Ruwais* Al Zakhira harbour’s mooring fields are to be completed and deliveredin 10 months, Al Khor harbour’s in 14 months and Al Wakrah and Al Ruwaisharbours’ in 18 months* Project works include constructing mooring slips at a length of 22m for boats and 10m for cruisers* Upon project completion, the current fishing harbours will be clearedof private boats and, mooring fields reorganised and redistributed