QNA
Doha
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has started a hydrographic surveying project to update the navigational nautical charts of the State of Qatar and establish a traffic separation scheme (TSS), a maritime traffic-management route-system, to regulate the entry and exit of vessels.
The project meets the requirements, specifications, and recommended practices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).The five-phase project will include specifying anchorage areas, locating ship wreckage in Qatari waters and siting of suitable navigational markers, updating Qatar’s nautical charts, suggesting vessel holding areas, providing a dedicated navigational marking system, and siting of navigational marks for locations of reserves.
The project will also put together a programme to regularly examine the navigational signs, using eco-friendly technologies such as batteries and solar panels, to achieve better lightening. The programme also includes determining the additional dimensions that navigational markers should capture to fulfil the work needs to ensure safe navigation such as the sight.
The project is especially important for enhancing and protecting the marine environment in step with Qatar’s economic growth and development requirements, using latest eco-friendly, surveillance, and marking systems in line with the goals of Qatar’s NDS3 and QNV 2030.
The MoT will train its employees concerned with navigational aids services in line with the requirements of the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA).
The project is aligned with the action plans of the National Strategy for Logistic Services Sector (transportation and warehousing sector) 2024-2030 that aims at solidifying Qatar’s position as a global logistics hub, supporting economic diversification, and enabling traders and investors with less time and cost.