15 November 2005
DOHA--Work is on schedule for the construction of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA) with reclamation work for the 22 square kilometre platform due to be finished by December 2006 according to officials of Qatar Dredging Company (QDC), heading the land reclamation for the project, who were speaking at a press conference in Doha yesterday.
On the first area handed over, the piling works to create a firm foundation for both a passenger terminal and concourse building are underway, creating an impressive new international airport. Half of the NDIA platform, four kilometres east of the existing airport, is being reclaimed from the sea by a consortium led by QDC, work that requires the movement of 62 million cubic metres of rock and sand.
"In order to allow large, high capacity dredging vessels to approach the project site it necessitated a 6km access channel to be cut by the QDC-owned 'Al Mahaar', which is among the 10 most powerful rock cutter dredgers in the world," said Marc Stordiau, Vice Chairman of QDC and Chairman of the consortium board.
From Our Correspondent
© Khaleej Times 2005
