File photo used for representational purposes
Doha: Qatar is giving great importance to develop the maritime sector locally, regionally and internationally.
The state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced technologies at Hamad Port boosts the efficiency of the country’s maritime facilities and contributes to achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Acting Director of Road Affairs Department at Ministry of Transport (MoT) Najla Al Jaber (pictured) highlighted the remarkable growth in Qatar’s maritime and logistics sector and how the country keeps pace with the latest innovative trends that is driving the economy to new heights.
“Qatar’s maritime sector is developing significantly evident by the performance of Qatar’s main gateway to world trade, Hamad Port. The advanced infrastructure at Hamad Port has contributed to transforming it into a pivotal regional port with high rankings on the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) as it surged to 11th globally in 2023 from 38th globally in 2020. This is a huge leap and development, Al Jaber said.
Hamad Port serves as a cornerstone in strengthening Qatar’s role as a vital regional logistics hub, with the capacity to handle the world’s largest commercial vessels and deliver integrated maritime services that meet the highest global standards.
She added, “We are collaborating with several entities and encouraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) and are looking forward for more collaborations and partnerships globally.”
Recently, the first edition of the Seatrade Maritime Qatar Conference and Exhibition was held in Doha, which discussed safe and sustainable shipping, digitalisation and sustainability in the maritime industry.
Hosting the Seatrade Maritime Qatar Conference encourages the maritime transportation sector to focus on Qatar as the country has a strategic location that helps it to contribute in this sector to serve the supply chains and increase the performance of the maritime transportation, Al Jaber said.
Commenting about the model of the water taxi project by the Ministry of Transport displayed at its pavilion during the conference, she noted “We are showcasing our water taxi project that aims to enhance integration with other public transportation systems in transporting passengers.”
It shows the Lusail station of the water taxi which is linked to the metro and bus stations around the same location. “We have completed the first phase of the infrastructure in Lusail City, the Pearl and the Corniche. In future we are planning to reach Al Wakrah in phase two stopping in Doha Port passing by Katara and then for third phase of the project, we are planning to reach Al Khor City in the north,” she said.
