Infrastructure development and renovation works worth around QR2 billion ($549 million) would be taken up at Doha Port in the second quarter of 2017, said a report.

The works will include extensive dredging in the area surrounding the port to ensure the smooth arrival of large vessels, particularly cruise ships, reported the Gulf Times, citing the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti.

The infrastructure development will be carried out in two phases starting from April next year, stated Al Sulaiti.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the two-day Qatar Transport Safety Forum, which began in Doha yesterday.

As part of the development plans for the port, both maintenance of the facilities and canal deepening work will be carried out.

When the works are under way, most of the traffic to Doha Port will be diverted to the new, larger Hamad Port, which lies to the south of Doha, said the report.

Phase One of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, allowing Hamad Port to handle two million containers, it added.