News | Ministry of Transport

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Minister Al-Sulaiti, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Witness Initialing of S.C. Olvia Port Concession Agreement

Doha – KievHE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti and HE the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Mr. Vladyslav Kryklii have witnessed the initialing of the concession agreement for the development and operation of the S.C. Olvia Port - Ukraine, between QTerminals Qatar, QTerminals S.C. Olvia, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, and the State Enterprise Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), at a virtual signing ceremony in Doha and Kiev via videoconferencing. The event was attended by Chairman of Qatar Navigation (Milaha) HE Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s Ambassador to Ukraine HE Mr. Hadi bin Nasser Al-Hajri and Ukraine’s Ambassador to Qatar HE Mr. Andrii Kuzmenko.The agreement was initialed by QTerminals Qatar CEO Mr. Neville Bissett, QTerminals SC Olvia Executive Director Mr. Mohammed Al Lahham, Ukrainian State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure HE Mr. Buchko Volodymyr Anatoliiovych, and Acting Head of SE USPA HE Mr. Holodnytskyi Oleksandr Hryhorovych.The term of the concession is 35 years, until 2056, during which QTerminals will invest about $140 million to develop the port over the next five years provided that $3.5 million out of that amount is allocated for the restoration of local infrastructure of Mykolaiv, the city where the port is located.Additionally, during the first five years of the concession, QTerminals will invest in establishing a new fully-equipped grain terminal, improve existing warehouses, modernize the road and telecommunications networks and all Olvia utilities and buildings, and set up silos and loading equipment for all modes of transportation, such as railway and freight lines.Commenting on the occasion, HE Minister Al-Sulaiti stressed the strong relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Ukraine and the high level of bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries.“This concession is a major achievement for QTerminals that honors its strategy for expanding overseas investments as a Qatari company specialized in seaport management,” he said.He noted that awarding the concession is a significant investment opportunity in one of Ukraine’s most important Black Sea ports and that all development works that QTerminals will carry out at the Port of Olvia will contribute to supporting its operations and relevant navigational and logistics services to meet the highest world standards in such a way that will enhance its operational revenues and provide every opportunity for the port to succeed in becoming an international hub for the grain trade.HE the Minister also said that this step will bolster the economic cooperation with Ukrainian and international companies and contribute to supporting the operations of the maritime line between Ukrainian ports and Hamad Port, thus supporting the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.This investment, he noted, will represent a turning point in QTerminals’ contributions to the sustainability of the national economy and the support for efforts to leverage Qatar’s competitiveness on the world map.HE Minister Kryklii said that re-profiling the infrastructure in the region and developing it in such a way that responds to our aspirations and ambitions will give considerable impetus to the development of the region at large.For the Ukraine, the agreement signed with QTerminals is another significant step on the way on widening and re-unlocking the potential of the Port of Olvia, as the company will pay concessions and other fees to the country annually, in addition to QTerminals creating hundreds of new jobs needed by the local community in the city of Mykolaiv.Mr. Bissett said that this agreement is “the first brick in our strategy of international expansion. We have the power, determination, desire and experience to strengthen cooperation between Qatar and Ukraine in the sphere of port production in the Black Sea basin, and we look forward to achieving this in a short period of time.”“We are firmly convinced and confident that the strong management of QTerminals, together with capabilities and expertise of Ukrainian ports will lead to fruitful results and a reality that is built on all factors of success, which we all look forward to,” he added.Established in 1992, S.C. Olvia Port - Ukraine, located in the Mykolaiv region on the Black Sea coast, has been seeing a significant year-on-year increase in grain and oil exports. Mykolaiv is a city in southern Ukraine and one of the region’s principal shipbuilding centers. On an area of 140 hectares, SC Olvia Port has 7 berths and a rail network for transporting cargo inside the port, in addition to several warehouses and storage areas. Its quayside is 1530 meters long.QTerminals was established as a joint venture between the Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar) and shipping and logistics company Qatar Navigation (Milaha). QTerminals operates Phase 1 of Hamad Port and is currently working on building Phase 2 of the port. Hamad Port has played a key role in making Qatar a regional business hub that boosts tradein the Middle East region as well as the region’s trade with the rest of the world.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Minister Meets with Ukrainian Ambassador

Doha – QatarHE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti met with the Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Qatar HE Mr. Andrii Kuzmenko, at Ministry offices today.The two officials reviewed cooperation relations between the two friendly countries in the fields of ports, transportation and communications and means of further developing them.

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Ministry Signs MoU with Ashghal on Road Projects

Doha – QatarThe Ministry of Transport and Communications has signed an MoU with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on planning, studying, designing, maintaining and managing the road projects.The MoU is upgrading the level of collaboration, joint efforts and constructive cooperation between the two sides with the aim of providing a safe, integrated transportation system in line with best universal practices and standards within the tasks and competencies of the two parties. MOTC and Ashghal aim to develop and manage the mobility and transportation projects as an integrated network compatible with other modes of transportation in such an efficient, economic, safe and environment-friendly fashion. The two sides aim to fulfill the needs of the State of Qatar from in mobility and transportation in line with the Second National Development Strategy (2018-2022) and Qatar National Vision 2030.The MoU was signed by MOTC Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Land Transport Affairs Eng. Hamad Essa Abdulla and President of Ashghal HE Dr. Saad bin Ahmed Al Muhannadi.The MoU defines and explains the roles, missions and responsibilities of the two sides based on the Emiri decisions in such a way that avoids duplication and limits overlapping competencies through activating a joint working mechanism for planning, studying, designing, implementing, operating, maintaining and managing the road projects in the country according to approved development plans, implementation priorities and following up the implementation according to the set delivery timelines. This also includes taking all the necessary measures and activating the road assets delivery mechanism after road projects have been carried out by the contractor and the end of the period dedicated for maintenance.Additionally, there will be an activation of a joint working mechanism regarding putting the necessary strategies and plans for maintaining and managing road projects and networks as well as coordinating on resolving the complaints from the public, doing the necessary maintenance works, developing and boosting joint cooperation to benefit from their capabilities in joint fields and stimulating sustainable economic and social development for the State of Qatar.The MoU also covers activating community participation, facilitating cooperation, transferring knowledge and technology for supporting the efforts of achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 in this domain, as well as realizing mutual benefits, services and expertise that each party can make available for the other party.It’s worth mentioning that Land Transport Affairs at MOTC is preparing the necessary studies for planning and designing land transportation networks and railroads and governance of land transportation system in accordance with latest systems and best global practices in the field. This is aimed at widening the scope of the economic movement, catering for the requirements of national development and achieving Qatar National Vision 2030.Ashghal carries out infrastructure projects across the country according to the recommendations of MOTC and the comprehensive plans, strategic studies, concept designs, priorities, recommendations, reports, researches and the like.Signing this MoU reflects the two parties’ interest in coordinating relevant business, bolstering cooperation on planning, designing, implementing and maintaining road projects in Qatar.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

MOTC Opens “Threat Hunters 2020 Competition”

Doha – QatarThe Ministry of Transport and Communications, in cooperation with the ITU-Arab Regional Cybersecurity Center (ARCC), has opened the registration for Qatar Threat Hunters 2020.MOTC is inviting all those who are interested in information security and those who have unique skills of detecting security threats to join the competition. Registration is available at https://cyberstars.pro/qatar/ until August 25, 2020.The competition is open for youth in the age group 17-24 and youth who are 24 years old and above.The three winners from Qatar Threat Hunters 2020 competition from each age group will be nominated to participate and represent Qatar at the 3rd edition of the Regional Threat Hunters 2020, organized by ITU-ARCC in partnership with Silensec.The competition revolves around several scenarios and challenges on cybersecurity domains such as ethical hacking, ICT infrastructure protection, computer forensics and malware analysis.This year’s competition aims at further developing and sharpening the skills and talents in the Arab world in the realm of cybersecurity and keeping up with cybersecurity challenges emerging from the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The aim is to qualify and prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and specialists and harness their capabilities for competing regionally and globally.The competition in Qatar will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 for participants from within Qatar, ending with selecting the three winners from each age group who will compete at the level of Arab countries in the regional stage that will be held during Q4 of 2020.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Minister Heads Qatar Delegation to GCC Ministerial Meetings on Post, Telecom, ICT & e-Government

Doha – QatarHE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti has headed the State of Qatar’s delegation participating in the 26th Meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology, held via videoconferencing and attended by their excellencies ministers of communications and information technology in the GCC.The meeting discussed several topics relating to the developing of post, telecommunications and information technology sectors in the GCC Member States and means of boosting cooperation in these vital industries.The Ministerial Committee also discussed the outcomes and recommendations of the 28th Meeting of the GCC Telecommunications and Information Technology Undersecretaries Committee, and future orientations for work mechanisms against the background of the lessons learnt from the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.The meeting was attended by President of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) HE Mr. Mohamed Ali al-Mannai and high-level representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Qatar Post.In a related context, HE the Minister has headed the State of Qatar’s delegation participating in the 6th GCC e-Government Ministerial Committee Meeting. Held via videoconferencing, the meeting was attended by a number of their excellencies ministers and senior officials of communications and information technology in the GCC.During the meeting, the GCC malware analysis platform was launched to be used by computer emergency response centers of GCC Member States. The Ministerial Committee also reviewed the implementation of the 2nd phase of the joint initiatives of the GCC eGovernment Strategy, the endorsement of new initiatives in order to start activating them, the implementation of a number of shared e-services, as well as going ahead with implementing the information security strategy for GCC Member States.The meeting also discussed the recommendations of the GCC eGovernment Executive Committee at its recent meetings, which highlighted several topics relating to egovernment and IT in cybersecurity and information emergency response, as well as issues on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Other key topics were the GCC joint procurement for software and equipment and GCC shared eservices.The Ministerial Committee stressed on the importance of working as per the future orientations based on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was attended by high-level representatives from MOTC.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Qatar Participates in 28th GCC Meeting on Post, Telecommunications

Doha – QatarThe State of Qatar today participated in the 28th Meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Committee for Under-Secretaries of Post and Telecommunications, which was conducted via video conferencing.The high-level delegation representing Qatar was led by the President of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) HE Mr. Mohamed Ali al-Mannai, and also included high-level representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) and Qatar Postal Services Company (Q-Post).The meeting discussed several topics on developing information and communications technology (ICT) sector and postal sector in the GCC member states and discussed means to boost cooperation between them in these vital sectors and with the EU.The meeting also discussed the recommendations of the 32nd Meeting of GCC Committee for Post Heads and Under-Secretaries, in addition to recommendations of several specialized committees and working groups, such as the Committee for Telecommunications Legislation and Regulation, Technical Committee of the Technical Office, International Roaming Working Group, and the Working Group of OTT Legislation and Regulation.Additionally, the meeting discussed the future directions of the committee's work based on the lessons learnt from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.