Photo shows a general view of the Qatari side of the Abu Samrah border crossing with Saudi Arabia. — AFP

DOHA: Qatar said yesterday that a new $7.4 billion port would help to break a three-month-old boycott of the gas-rich emirate. The Hamad Port, which began operating in December, is a major hub for imports to Qatar, hit by a land and air embargo by some of its neighbors. "This is a gateway to break the shackles imposed on Qatar," Transport Minister Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti said in a speech during an inauguration ceremony for the port held yesterday. "Nothing can stop us and our ambition," he added.

In a relatively rare public appearance since the onset of the crisis, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the inauguration but did not speak. On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and having close ties to Shiite Iran. Qatar denies the charges.

Yesterday's hour-long ceremony, broadcast live on Qatari television stations, included a band, acrobats and fireworks. Hamad will be Qatar's largest container port and will provide commercial access to some 150 countries, according to official reports. These include links to regional ports in Oman and Kuwait, and more distant ports of call from Turkey to India and Pakistan.

Qatar previously relied on neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for food imports. But as part of the sanctions, Saudi Arabia sealed its land border with Qatar. Turkey and Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran have since stepped in to help meet Qatar's food needs. The Hamad Port is located on Qatar's south eastern coast, around an hour's drive from Doha. It has a capacity of 1.7 million tons of general freight and one million tons of grain, according to Mwani Qatar, the country's port management company. - AFP