| Salwa Canal | |
|---|---|
 The canal would be south of the border between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 70 [1] km (43 miles) |
| Minimum boat draft | 12 m |
| Status | Abandoned[ citation needed ] |
The Salwa Canal was a proposed shipping route and tourism project through Saudi Arabia along its border with Qatar, effectively turning the latter into an island. The project appears to be abandoned for the present. [2]
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia and a number of countries cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea, and air blockade. [1]
The tender was scheduled to take place on 25 June 2018. According to the publication Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the company with the winning bid was to be announced within 90 days of the bid closure date, after which it was to begin digging of the channel immediately in order to complete the project within a one-year time frame. [3]
The proposed waterway is 200 m wide and will be dug to a depth of up to 20 m providing a maximum ship draft of 12 m. This would allow the canal to accommodate cargo, container and passenger ships up to a length of 295 m. The preliminary cost has been estimated at SR2.8bn (US$747m). [1] The proposal includes building resorts with private beaches, [4] the construction of ports, the possibility of a free trade zone, [1] a military zone, and a dumping ground for nuclear waste [ citation needed ]. [5]
Saudi media report the project could be completed within 12 months, comparing it to the second, 72 km lane, of the Suez Canal which took about 12 months to finish. [4] However, only half of the distance involved digging new waterways while the remainder was only widening existing channels. [1]
Some media sources seem to prefer a route avoiding maritime boundary passing through Khawr al Udayd, [6] which is a bay and nature reserve also under the Tentative List of the World Heritage Site and mostly shared in a maritime border with Qatar.
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Salwa is an Arabic word meaning "solace". It may refer to:
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The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a high-profile incident involving the deterioration of ties between Qatar and the Arab League between 2017 and 2021. It began when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed their bilateral relations with Qatar and subsequently banned Qatar-registered aircraft and Qatari ships from utilizing their sovereign territory by air, land, and sea; this involved the Saudis' closure of Qatar's only land crossing, initiating a de facto blockade of the country. Tensions between the two sides came to a close in January 2021, following a resolution between the Saudis and the Qataris.
Saudi Arabia–Qatar relations refers to the current and historical relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar. Prior to 2017, the two countries maintained cordial ties. Qatar was mainly subservient to Saudi Arabia in matters relating to foreign policy. Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's assumption of power saw Qatar reclaim its sovereignty in foreign affairs, often diverging from Saudi Arabia on many geopolitical issues. In 1996, the Qatari government launched Al Jazeera in a bid to consolidate soft power. One of the most watched news stations in the Arab world, Al Jazeera proved to be a wedge in the two's bilateral relations as it routinely criticized Saudi Arabia's ruler. The network also provided a platform for Islamist groups which are considered a threat to Saudi Arabia's monarchy.
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