Saudi waterway to turn Qatar into island

If the Gulf investors are moving ahead with their plans to dig a 60 kilometre-long water canal alongside the border with Qatar, chances are high that Qatar could be turned into an island.

The canal would be 60 kms long, 200 meters wide and 15 to 20 meters deep, enabling it to receive all kinds of ships from tankers and passenger ships, with a maximum length of 300 meters and a width of 33 meters. The planned canal would stretch from Salwa to Khor Al Adeed and is expected to cost around 2.8 billion Saudi riyals.

This, however, depends on the approval of a preliminary study to drill the canal. The drilling would be done by a Saudi investment alliance which includes nine companies and is expected to be completed within 12 months.

Along with ports for yachts and tourist ships, which is considered to be the first of its kind in the region, a number of five-stars hotels and resorts with private beaches will also be built alongside the canal.