Commentary

Edward James 

Head of content and analysis

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The news that early construction bids have been submitted for a new road causeway and ferry linking the UAE and Qatar could have a geopolitical impact in addition to potentially transforming transportation networks in the region. 

The multibillion-dollar West Link project, tendered by the UAE’s Etihad Rail, will link the two states directly, enabling for the first time freight and car traffic to bypass the land connection in Saudi Arabia dividing them. 

However, it could well provoke a diplomatic response from Riyadh if recent history is a guide.

In 2006, Saudi Arabia protested and ultimately blocked the planned Dolphin Energy gas pipeline between Qatar and the UAE from passing what it claimed at the time was its territorial waters. In the end, the pipeline alignment had to be rerouted to avoid any potential encroachment. 

Riyadh’s intervention made global headlines and came at a time of some tension between the kingdom and the UAE. The latter has never ratified the 1974 Treaty of Jeddah that formally disconnected the UAE’s land connection with Qatar. While there is general consensus on the land borders between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, the offshore maritime border has never been delimited. 

The Treaty of Jeddah stipulates that the two parties have joint sovereignty in the general maritime area between the two nations until formal demarcation could be agreed. It also gave the kingdom the right to construct ‘general installations’ on Al-Qaffay and Makasib islands, which lie within UAE territory, although it is not believed to have ever done so.

More recently, last year Riyadh deposited a note verbale at the UN affirming its rejection of a 2019 UAE Amiri Decree that expanded the Yasat marine reserve to encompass Al-Qaffay Island, stating that the kingdom “does not recognise any actions or practices taken by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in the maritime area off the coast of Saudi Arabia, including the territorial sea of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the joint sovereign area between the two countries and the islands of Makaseb and Qafai”.

The new road causeway and ferry project will start on the UAE-Saudi border at Ras Ghumais and then run 40km in a northeast direction to Makasib, presumably also passing through Al-Qaffay. From there a ferry will take road traffic onto Qatar. 

It is unclear what Riyadh’s position will be on the new connection, but given its diplomatic protest over the Yasat marine reserve, it is likely to want to have some say on its development. At the same time, it remains to be seen what impact the project will have on prospects for the long-planned GCC railway link between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which has not seen much signs of progress despite the UAE side having completed its line to the Saudi border two years ago.

Regardless, the project will be seen as another step in the closer integration of transport links in the GCC, offering an increasing number of options for traffic to flow between the economic bloc.

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Regional construction heads underground; Riyadh reaps both diplomatic and economic success; Luxury GCC hospitality projects drive tourism

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