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Transport |
T he
Qatari government spares no effort to
develop local transportation network,
and to improve accessibility to and from
Qatar with the outside world by land,
air and sea.
During the last few years, a great deal
has been achieved in the area of
building ports, airports and roads.
In order to render the transportation
sector more efficient, Qatar abolished
the Transport and Communications
Ministry on 3 July 2001. The Ministry's
duties were transferred by vide three
Emiri decrees to the Public Civil
Aviation Authority(PCAA), Ports and
Customs Authority, and Public Postal
Corporation.
General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
The
two separate departments ( Civil
Aviation and Metrology), of which GCAA
consisted, have been merged. As a body
corporate, the Authority has its own
budget which is part of the State
budget, and it reports to the Council
of Ministers.
GCAA aims at upgrading the facilities of
civil aviation and metrology to the best
possible standards. It also draws the
general policy for civil aviation,
oversees implementation of the
international agreements and treaties,
consolidates relations with
international organizations and foreign
countries in the related areas, operates
Doha International Airport, controls air
traffic and monitors airline companies.
Qatar
Airways
Qatar
Airways (QA), which was established on
20 January 1994 and underwent
restructuring in 1997, including motto
and logo, is the national carrier of the
country.
QA is a Limited Liability Company
equally owned by the government and
private investors.
Until 1994 the national carrier of
Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and
Oman was Gulf Air which is jointly owned
by these countries.
QA has made substantial achievements. It
now possesses a fleet consisting of
jumbo jets, and has signed contracts
with more than 52 international airlines
to exchange passengers and baggage. QA
flies to more than 40 destinations in
Asia, Africa, Europe and the Far East.
By the end of 2003 the number of
destinations will rise to 50.
A $ 5,1 billion deal was signed in June
2003 with Airbus of France to
purchase 34 new planes.
The QA fleet consists of 24 planes: 9
Airbus A300-600R, 8 Airbus A320, one
Airbus ACJ319 for businessmen, and 3
Airbus A330-200 aircraft with a seating
capacity of 238 . . . five more planes
are to join the fleet by the end of
2003.
According to the schedule agreed upon
with Airbus Co, QA is to receive two
jetliners of the latter type in 2003 and
one more at the beginning of 2004, with
the option of buying 3 more of the same
type at a cost of $ 750 million. QA
will also acquire two Airbus A380
jetliners.
Qatar Airways has been one of the
fastest growing airlines in the world
with an annual average growth of 29%
over the past five years. The airline
recorded 10% growth rate in 2002.
The national carrier plans to expand its
operations by 60%. The total number of
passengers QA carried in 2001 and 2002
were 1,850,000 and
2,500,000 respectively. QA is working on
targeting 3,000,000 passengers in the
near future.
Qatar Airways owns a few subsidiaries
such as Qatar Free Duty Company, Qatar
Aircraft Catering Company, Qatar for
Holidays and Qatar Media International
Company.
Doha
International Airport (DIA)
Located 8 km Southeast of the center of
Doha, DIA has a total area of 17,094
square meters. Its 4575 meter
long runway can accommodate any type of
aircraft.
Gulf
Helicopter
One
of Qatar Petroleum's subsidiaries, Gulf
Helicopter was established in 1970 to
serve petroleum companies working
offshore. In 1977 it upgraded its
services when it was acquired by Gulf
Aviation Company Ltd.
It has been an active helicopter service
provider, both in Qatar and abroad,
since its acquisition by Qatar Petroleum
in 1998. It also helps in rescue
operations during natural disasters.
Seaports
The Government has spared no efforts to
upgrade and expand seaports and related
infrastructure to make their services
more efficient. The Department of Ports
and Customs contributes to the
international maritime activities by
virtue of being a member of the
International Maritime Organization
and The Arab Academy for Science and
Technology and Maritime Transport and
International Association of Ports &
Harbors.
Qatar has a number of ports, the most
important of all are: Doha, Ras Laffan,
an industrial city located on the
eastern coast 80 kilometers to the north
of Doha, and Messaieed, located to the
south of Doha, from which oil is
exported and where there is also a
commercial port. Halul port has an oil
shipping terminal.
Doha
Seaport
Doha
Port is the main commercial seaport for
Qatar. It is equipped with the most
modern handling equipment, with 12
berths of 187,8 to 300 meters long, and
with a draft reaching 7,4 to 12 meters
deep.
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The total length of
its berths is about 3644 meters.
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The total closed and
roofed storage space is 5 acres.
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Open storage areas
are of 10 hectares.
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A walk-in cooler and
freezer with a capacity of 500 tons.
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Container storage
space with a capacity of about 4000
containers.
To
keep up with the developments in
maritime transport, it has been decided
to build a new berth to accommodate the
latest generation of large containers
and ro-ro vessels.
Ras Laffan Seaport
One of the world's largest LNG export
terminals with a total area of 8,5
square kilometers. The exporting
capacity of the port is 30 million
metric tons per annum. The port
provides a range of berth facilities for
industrial and commercial use:
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Two separate berths
for export of LNG (condensates) on
vessels with Deadweight tonnage (d.w.t)
of 300,000 m3 tons, with the
provision for two more berths.
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Two Dry Cargo /
Container Berths ; each 300 m. long,
accommodating 60,000 d.w.t. vessels.
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A 270 m long berth
that accommodates tug, mooring
launches and pilot boats.
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Exploration &
production supply vessel berth.
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A 420 m berth, can
accommodate supply, anchor and
survey vessels of up to 20,000 tons.
Messaieed Seaport
Messaieed seaport is Qatar's main oil
export terminal and, thus, the terminus
for the country's main oil and gas
pipelines, particularly the pipeline
that links the port with the main oil
field at Dukhan on Qatar's west coast.
Messaieed's location on the country's
east coast makes it ideally located for
oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz,
and import of oil-related equipment.
Seaport upgrading
The Buildings Engineering Department has
signed a QR 10 million contract to
upgrade Al Wakrah Seaport (15 km south
of Doha). The contracts for the second
phase of Al Ruwais port have also been
finalized. Other contracts to upgrade
and improve services at Doha seaport
have also been signed at a total cost of
QR 30 million .
Al Wakra seaport has been expanded. The
expansion included setting up 15 berths,
a building for coast guards, and
a complex to provide supplies needed by
fishermen. This phase of expansion can
accommodate anticipated activity for the
next 3 years only.
The second phase of expansion will
include expanding the port by 350 meters
seaward, which would make it possible to
build a large number of berths.
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